Light Flower

Light Flower reinterprets Hong Kong’s bamboo craft traditions through a dialogue between material practice and digital fabrication. Each flower unit is constructed from cotton fabric and bamboo mesh, cut and sewn into a semi-rigid hexagonal origami geometry. Embedded electronics, activated by a facial-recognition camera, enable the structure to contract and expand in response to a visitor’s smile, creating a playful and positive exchange between the installation and its audience.

‍
The project builds on research into bamboo and paper craft developed in collaboration with one of Hong Kong’s remaining shi-fu (craft masters), alongside investigations into accessible IoT technologies and digital fabrication tools. Cotton fabric was selected over paper to improve durability while maintaining lightweight properties and crisp, rigid edges. Prototyping involved testing locally sourced fabrics and bamboo meshes, alongside refining sewing and bonding methods to achieve clean finishes and reliable assembly. The geometry and assembly sequence were developed through iterative trials, responding to both material behavior and the constraints of available fabrication equipment.
‍

The kinetic system is driven by a single stepper motor for simplicity and robustness. An LED ring tracks the user’s face in real time, triggering a light sequence when a smile is detected, synchronized with the movement of the flower. All components were derived from CAD models, laser-cut, and manually assembled. In response to the widespread use of face masks, ongoing research is exploring alternative interaction methods through personal mobile devices.