Process

We started our ideation by looking for inspirations from nature: what are glowing objects in nature that are desirable and calming? Moon, cloud and stars at night, beautiful aquatic animals such as jellyfish, reflection of water waves... We also considered artifacts in various forms that successfully contribute to calming mood using light. As how to realize those effects, we have considered multiple combinations of different LED lighting components and covering/attaching materials including nonwoven cloth, gauze, and cotton. Finally, we decided to use LED stripes and cotton to make a star cloud since we feel that a more representational form will be better perceived than an abstract form for toddlers.

In the making process, we used 3 empty beverage bottles to form the base of the cloud shape, connected two LED strips and wrap them around the bottles, then used hot glue gun to attach cotton to bottles and hide the LEDs inside. The LEDs on the stripe is programmed to be divided into 4 sets that take turns to gradually light up and turn dark, which creates a nice breathing effect.