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Thursday, November 03, 2022
Overview | Light-Up Costumes in Harsh Environments
Adafruit Learning System: Light-up costumes using LEDs are delicate. Wires break, connectors, fail, and dust or water can get into the tiniest cracks in your enclosure, causing short circuits or rust.
16 comments:
Gaby F
said...
This sounds super fun! Who doesn’t have a little kid jumping up and down going “ohhh pretty lights” whenever something that is not traditionally lighted is. I never really stopped to consider how time consuming and difficult it is to make it happen, especially when the conditions are dire or its for something that is supposed to withstand a hurricane. I didn’t know that lithium batteries were more volatile than double or triple As, so hooray for knowledge. There is something so mesmerizing about things being lighted that aren’t normally, in this case I think clothes. It creates so much more and it opens up a diversity of opportunities when it comes to design and maybe a bit of engineering. I have a lot of fond though uncomfortable memories wearing one of those LED lit Halloween costumes. I think I might have made the rotation for Disney princesses back then, so I’m interested to see where the technology goes from here.
As of right now, Lighting Design is something I’m heavily considering declaring. I know there’s one thing for sure that I don’t want to do for a career, and that’s anything with costumes. So, when I saw this article that combines lighting and costumes, I sort of became interested in this realm of costuming. Reading further into this article, I learned how difficult it would be to include LED lights into any costume. The picture the article uses even goes underwater. That’s a lot of electrical things to figure out since electricity and water do not mix. Plus, you have to be able to control the lights, which can be difficult underwater or even on land. One day though I would love to team up with one of my costume classmates and add lights to a costume. I think it would be a very neat thing to do!
This is a really cool article! It's funny that it's not from a website related to theater or entertainment, but rather a hardware company. I found it really interesting to read about the author's choice of hardware to use as well as their rationale for why they would use the specific piece of hardware. I don't doubt the author in their claims about how difficult it is to make a consistently functioning LED costume that can stay underwater, but I find myself wondering how long it will be until well-made, pre-built waterproof LED strips for costumes will be available to buy. I would like to see how a design would change if it didn't have to go underwater, if it had to last for longer, or other environment changes (though I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a harsher environment than salt water). Depending on the application, though, I wonder if it would be practical to use distilled water, which doesn't conduct electricity like mineral water. It's used in some super high-end PCs, so I don't see why it wouldn't work for LED strips.
It is already a challenge to create a durable and sustainable costume. Their are already so many problems that can arise and things to take into consideration when constructing one. Therefore, adding LED lights creates a whole other level of difficulty and considerations to follow. I am thoroughly impressed by those who decide to incorporate LED lights into their designs knowing the difficulties that come along with doing so. As an individual wishing to go into costume design/construction as a career I really enjoyed how thorough and detailed this article went into explaining the execution, precautions, and steps taken when incorporating these lights! This article also made me realize that their is a great deal of technical aspects regarding the mechanics of the lights which I was not aware of. I simply thought that the lights were just sewn on and had a small battery pack hidden somewhere. So I am grateful to see how much skill is actually put into creating a costume with LED lights and specifically for underwater.
The technology and creativity that have been used in this project that is talked about in this article is incredible and interesting. I have seen a lot of costumes with light that are being used on land and not in water. While the product and the effect of the product can be improved, it certainly inspired me in using different kinds of material in costume design that would satisfy my need and wish in achieving different effects in design. While using hot glue gun is less likely to last for a long time and could impact the material that you are using in different ways, similar process such as fabric glue with ironing and adding layers to the fabric on top and below it would make it more sustainable. It is definitely interesting in how material and tools like this would be used in costume and how it could be built for different purposes.
I am very interested in experimenting and learning about light up costumes. It is a little daunting, however, because I know virtually nothing about electronics and I don't really have the brain for that stuff. I do recognize that our world is moving more and more into technological take over and I know I will need to know how to work with electronics and artificial intelligence. As far as the design of it all, I am a bit picky when it comes to light up costumes, I think they are very easy to make look tacky. When looking at a light up costume, I don’t want it to look like lights under fabric. The lights should be tactfully placed so it looks like the light is coming from the fabric or the body itself - bioluminescent if you will. The fact that these can even be worn underwater without electrocuting yourself is amazing. Even though it's difficult and finicky, it’s definitely worth it in the end.
I really loved this article because of how in depth they went with showing how they made the costumes and what problems are faced. I really love making costumes with things other than fabrics. So this article is really interesting for me and makes me want to make light up costumes or pieces of clothing. One other thing I really like about this article is how they show where and how much each product is and where you can buy it. This article is really useful to artists to be able to try this out themselves. I also find it incredibly interesting that a hot glue gun is one of the tools they use. Esspecally because that is seen as a crafty item but to see it in a new perspective is interesting. I grew up seeing the light up costumes around busch gardens in florida so to see a different kind of creative is really cool
I think underwater costumes sound cool as hell but also extremely difficult–nevertheless with lights! I like the “tutorial” on how they did it and reminded me why you never know what special skills such as soldering or knowledge on electronics can help you in the DP side of the entertainment industry. It’s probably meticulous and stressful to make sure nothing goes awry with rusting or things like dust getting in the way and keeping things charged with backups. I also wonder how from a costume design standpoint they hide the packs and make them still accessible. It is hard to mask the inner mechanics of complicated costumes, whether that's hiding power sources, making things quiet when in use, and of course looking good. This also makes me wonder what lighting designers have to consider when costumes have their own lightsource on stage and how the lights are controlled from off stage so as to not be able to see it in the event of a black out or walking off stage.
I can't even imagine if I saw this when I was younger. With the level that I was obsessed with H2O, adding water, and their tail creation system, I think if someone told me I could make my own glowing mermaid tale or fairy wings, I would lose my marbles. I love that these kinds of innovations in technology are constantly being discovered and shared with the general public for free because it is going to give new generations of children the such joy that I cannot even imagine. I would be interested to see this implemented on stage during a show like singing in the rain with water on stage. I would also be interested in water-activated lights, which only turn on during those moments. This also reminds me very much of Cirque du Soleil and the kinds of special effects they pull off in their extreme circumstances
Avoiding the mixing of electronics with water has for so often been seen as an important rule in life, so I find it remarkable that this artist has worked so hard and diligently to create this mermaid’s tail. I also find myself astonished at the risk of underwater electronics being *worn* by someone. Electronics can be a risk on their own, so attaching it to a human underwater truly requires the experience the creator has. I’m honestly relieved to find the warnings throughout, as there are folks like me who have very little experience with LEDs in our projects. I find a lot of apprehension with this concept due to a lack of knowledge but I can also see how this continues the technological developments and strategies that will allow for new effect on the stage.I think there’s something fascinations in the way our brain responds to light where it is unnatural. It creates almost a forces sense of disbelief because our brains know it cannot be electronic. I would find such an effect on stage could be quite interesting. I enjoy the new possibilities thought of with the discovery of this article.
It's cool to me that arduino was basically created to do things like what we saw here. It's a cool example of emergent tech that came from art and not the other way around.
I feel that my skills manipulating materials to create objects has come very far but I see the ability to make objects that are smarter than their shape to be the next step in the process. Like, sure you can make a really cool prop weapon, but if the thing is meant to light up then why shouldn't you go the extra step and make the thing light up?
I'm glad that advances in batteries have been as such in the past few years that these applications for electronics are now a lot more viable for the amateur prop artisan. This kind of lighting integration in costumes was on the cutting edge in the oughts. Or at the very least it was almost unheard of to see this type of this done.
Light up costumes are so ridiculously cool, and this article is fascinating. I love seeing people’s design processes and methodology behind their creations - and this article is very in depth in terms of both of those things. A light up mermaid tail is so awesome, and I can imagine all of the experimentation and trial and error that it took the author to submerge their creation completely in salt water. I found the analysis about parallel vs series wiring to be fascinating - the trade off of durability vs customizability is something that we face when creating things like this, and the author handled it so well. While I’m not a costume designer, hearing about things like flex points and mounting your costume are really interesting to hear about. I really really appreciate maker tutorials like these because the author goes into so much detail in order to make their creations more accessible for replication and learning by others.
A swimmable, light-up mermaid tail? Yes, please. Not that I have any body of water to utilize such a contraption but goodness does that sound cool. This tech is super interesting - having to think about the durability of the materials and tech to withstand whatever circumstances you need it to live in. Not really something that I have thought too much about. But, it makes sense. What is the thing you want/need, what does it need to do, and how do you accomplish it. Simple enough idea. I am interested in how this technology evolves because I feel like we very often see something created and then it gets developed and developed and more people use it and then it's a widely available thing. Most of the tech stuff in this article went over my head but it is pretty interesting. Definitely want a cool costume with lights in it now…
This is so interesting to me; I liked how the article mentioned all the things that the costumes need to stand up to – the elements in this case, as well as curious individuals touching and poking the costumes, and stand up to movement or action. I feel like often people are striving to make something cool, but do not consider all that it must withstand. I have a friend that works in costumes and has made dresses for well-known regional theatres that do light up like this; I asked her about this article, and she said that most of it was taken into account when building a costume (like needing to have “rock solid soldering skills”). I thought it was innovative how the author of this article said that they repurposed a GoPro case to store things to keep them dry – I’m not sure that’s something that I think I would have thought of.
This is a super cool project and I really wish I saw more of this in all levels of theatre production. It is relatively inexpensive to do this sort of thing, it is just difficult to find the people that do this work. This semester, I have been enrolled in embedded electronics with Elliot who is teaching how to do projects very similar to this one with Arduino. It is a very different way of thinking and the coding can be pretty complicated, but there are a lot of open source resources out there and guidance online to help you through doing projects like these. I think it is a really fun way to accentuate a costume and even possibly be able to control the lights from the lighting console to expand your design even further and create a really powerful image for your audience. I can see applications of this technology in costumes, set dressing, etc. It’s a great effect and if you have the people to do it, it is fairly simple to execute.
As someone who loves to put lights in just about every project they make, I could not resist reading this article. Lighting in costuming is such an interesting topic, because it is something that has been creatively tackled for quite some time now. Especially in regards to theatrical design, a big constituent for hard thought is the practicality of the design, and whether the addition is necessary to bringing the design to life. I find it especially interesting to talk about the usage of lights in costuming when it comes to cosplay, and the building of costumes resembling robots and other costumes where lights come into play. When thinking about becoming a costume designer, one doesn’t really think about how something like electrical work could come into play, so this article is a perfect example of how stuff such as soldering could be key skills to creating an effective costume design. It is especially important to talk about the consideration of the safety factors that come with lighting costume pieces, because often times costume designers don’t have a background in any kind of lighting design, and all of the dangers that could come with improper execution of electrical circuiting. As a whole, something to consider when talking about the inclusion of lighting design in costume design is this: why do many college programs limit a students ability to take classes within multiple areas of design, when the areas of design often influence one another? Especially being a DP, trying to narrow down a specific area to pursue in the future is a huge factor when taking classes and going to crew calls, and it is really unfortunate that we are taught from the get-go that you can only pursue one specific area to begin with.
16 comments:
This sounds super fun! Who doesn’t have a little kid jumping up and down going “ohhh pretty lights” whenever something that is not traditionally lighted is. I never really stopped to consider how time consuming and difficult it is to make it happen, especially when the conditions are dire or its for something that is supposed to withstand a hurricane. I didn’t know that lithium batteries were more volatile than double or triple As, so hooray for knowledge. There is something so mesmerizing about things being lighted that aren’t normally, in this case I think clothes. It creates so much more and it opens up a diversity of opportunities when it comes to design and maybe a bit of engineering. I have a lot of fond though uncomfortable memories wearing one of those LED lit Halloween costumes. I think I might have made the rotation for Disney princesses back then, so I’m interested to see where the technology goes from here.
As of right now, Lighting Design is something I’m heavily considering declaring. I know there’s one thing for sure that I don’t want to do for a career, and that’s anything with costumes. So, when I saw this article that combines lighting and costumes, I sort of became interested in this realm of costuming. Reading further into this article, I learned how difficult it would be to include LED lights into any costume. The picture the article uses even goes underwater. That’s a lot of electrical things to figure out since electricity and water do not mix. Plus, you have to be able to control the lights, which can be difficult underwater or even on land. One day though I would love to team up with one of my costume classmates and add lights to a costume. I think it would be a very neat thing to do!
This is a really cool article! It's funny that it's not from a website related to theater or entertainment, but rather a hardware company. I found it really interesting to read about the author's choice of hardware to use as well as their rationale for why they would use the specific piece of hardware. I don't doubt the author in their claims about how difficult it is to make a consistently functioning LED costume that can stay underwater, but I find myself wondering how long it will be until well-made, pre-built waterproof LED strips for costumes will be available to buy. I would like to see how a design would change if it didn't have to go underwater, if it had to last for longer, or other environment changes (though I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a harsher environment than salt water). Depending on the application, though, I wonder if it would be practical to use distilled water, which doesn't conduct electricity like mineral water. It's used in some super high-end PCs, so I don't see why it wouldn't work for LED strips.
It is already a challenge to create a durable and sustainable costume. Their are already so many problems that can arise and things to take into consideration when constructing one. Therefore, adding LED lights creates a whole other level of difficulty and considerations to follow. I am thoroughly impressed by those who decide to incorporate LED lights into their designs knowing the difficulties that come along with doing so. As an individual wishing to go into costume design/construction as a career I really enjoyed how thorough and detailed this article went into explaining the execution, precautions, and steps taken when incorporating these lights! This article also made me realize that their is a great deal of technical aspects regarding the mechanics of the lights which I was not aware of. I simply thought that the lights were just sewn on and had a small battery pack hidden somewhere. So I am grateful to see how much skill is actually put into creating a costume with LED lights and specifically for underwater.
The technology and creativity that have been used in this project that is talked about in this article is incredible and interesting. I have seen a lot of costumes with light that are being used on land and not in water. While the product and the effect of the product can be improved, it certainly inspired me in using different kinds of material in costume design that would satisfy my need and wish in achieving different effects in design. While using hot glue gun is less likely to last for a long time and could impact the material that you are using in different ways, similar process such as fabric glue with ironing and adding layers to the fabric on top and below it would make it more sustainable. It is definitely interesting in how material and tools like this would be used in costume and how it could be built for different purposes.
I am very interested in experimenting and learning about light up costumes. It is a little daunting, however, because I know virtually nothing about electronics and I don't really have the brain for that stuff. I do recognize that our world is moving more and more into technological take over and I know I will need to know how to work with electronics and artificial intelligence. As far as the design of it all, I am a bit picky when it comes to light up costumes, I think they are very easy to make look tacky. When looking at a light up costume, I don’t want it to look like lights under fabric. The lights should be tactfully placed so it looks like the light is coming from the fabric or the body itself - bioluminescent if you will. The fact that these can even be worn underwater without electrocuting yourself is amazing. Even though it's difficult and finicky, it’s definitely worth it in the end.
I really loved this article because of how in depth they went with showing how they made the costumes and what problems are faced. I really love making costumes with things other than fabrics. So this article is really interesting for me and makes me want to make light up costumes or pieces of clothing. One other thing I really like about this article is how they show where and how much each product is and where you can buy it. This article is really useful to artists to be able to try this out themselves. I also find it incredibly interesting that a hot glue gun is one of the tools they use. Esspecally because that is seen as a crafty item but to see it in a new perspective is interesting. I grew up seeing the light up costumes around busch gardens in florida so to see a different kind of creative is really cool
I think underwater costumes sound cool as hell but also extremely difficult–nevertheless with lights! I like the “tutorial” on how they did it and reminded me why you never know what special skills such as soldering or knowledge on electronics can help you in the DP side of the entertainment industry. It’s probably meticulous and stressful to make sure nothing goes awry with rusting or things like dust getting in the way and keeping things charged with backups. I also wonder how from a costume design standpoint they hide the packs and make them still accessible. It is hard to mask the inner mechanics of complicated costumes, whether that's hiding power sources, making things quiet when in use, and of course looking good. This also makes me wonder what lighting designers have to consider when costumes have their own lightsource on stage and how the lights are controlled from off stage so as to not be able to see it in the event of a black out or walking off stage.
I can't even imagine if I saw this when I was younger. With the level that I was obsessed with H2O, adding water, and their tail creation system, I think if someone told me I could make my own glowing mermaid tale or fairy wings, I would lose my marbles. I love that these kinds of innovations in technology are constantly being discovered and shared with the general public for free because it is going to give new generations of children the such joy that I cannot even imagine. I would be interested to see this implemented on stage during a show like singing in the rain with water on stage. I would also be interested in water-activated lights, which only turn on during those moments. This also reminds me very much of Cirque du Soleil and the kinds of special effects they pull off in their extreme circumstances
Avoiding the mixing of electronics with water has for so often been seen as an important rule in life, so I find it remarkable that this artist has worked so hard and diligently to create this mermaid’s tail. I also find myself astonished at the risk of underwater electronics being *worn* by someone. Electronics can be a risk on their own, so attaching it to a human underwater truly requires the experience the creator has. I’m honestly relieved to find the warnings throughout, as there are folks like me who have very little experience with LEDs in our projects. I find a lot of apprehension with this concept due to a lack of knowledge but I can also see how this continues the technological developments and strategies that will allow for new effect on the stage.I think there’s something fascinations in the way our brain responds to light where it is unnatural. It creates almost a forces sense of disbelief because our brains know it cannot be electronic. I would find such an effect on stage could be quite interesting. I enjoy the new possibilities thought of with the discovery of this article.
It's cool to me that arduino was basically created to do things like what we saw here. It's a cool example of emergent tech that came from art and not the other way around.
I feel that my skills manipulating materials to create objects has come very far but I see the ability to make objects that are smarter than their shape to be the next step in the process. Like, sure you can make a really cool prop weapon, but if the thing is meant to light up then why shouldn't you go the extra step and make the thing light up?
I'm glad that advances in batteries have been as such in the past few years that these applications for electronics are now a lot more viable for the amateur prop artisan. This kind of lighting integration in costumes was on the cutting edge in the oughts. Or at the very least it was almost unheard of to see this type of this done.
Light up costumes are so ridiculously cool, and this article is fascinating. I love seeing people’s design processes and methodology behind their creations - and this article is very in depth in terms of both of those things. A light up mermaid tail is so awesome, and I can imagine all of the experimentation and trial and error that it took the author to submerge their creation completely in salt water. I found the analysis about parallel vs series wiring to be fascinating - the trade off of durability vs customizability is something that we face when creating things like this, and the author handled it so well. While I’m not a costume designer, hearing about things like flex points and mounting your costume are really interesting to hear about. I really really appreciate maker tutorials like these because the author goes into so much detail in order to make their creations more accessible for replication and learning by others.
A swimmable, light-up mermaid tail? Yes, please. Not that I have any body of water to utilize such a contraption but goodness does that sound cool. This tech is super interesting - having to think about the durability of the materials and tech to withstand whatever circumstances you need it to live in. Not really something that I have thought too much about. But, it makes sense. What is the thing you want/need, what does it need to do, and how do you accomplish it. Simple enough idea. I am interested in how this technology evolves because I feel like we very often see something created and then it gets developed and developed and more people use it and then it's a widely available thing. Most of the tech stuff in this article went over my head but it is pretty interesting. Definitely want a cool costume with lights in it now…
This is so interesting to me; I liked how the article mentioned all the things that the costumes need to stand up to – the elements in this case, as well as curious individuals touching and poking the costumes, and stand up to movement or action. I feel like often people are striving to make something cool, but do not consider all that it must withstand. I have a friend that works in costumes and has made dresses for well-known regional theatres that do light up like this; I asked her about this article, and she said that most of it was taken into account when building a costume (like needing to have “rock solid soldering skills”). I thought it was innovative how the author of this article said that they repurposed a GoPro case to store things to keep them dry – I’m not sure that’s something that I think I would have thought of.
This is a super cool project and I really wish I saw more of this in all levels of theatre production. It is relatively inexpensive to do this sort of thing, it is just difficult to find the people that do this work. This semester, I have been enrolled in embedded electronics with Elliot who is teaching how to do projects very similar to this one with Arduino. It is a very different way of thinking and the coding can be pretty complicated, but there are a lot of open source resources out there and guidance online to help you through doing projects like these. I think it is a really fun way to accentuate a costume and even possibly be able to control the lights from the lighting console to expand your design even further and create a really powerful image for your audience. I can see applications of this technology in costumes, set dressing, etc. It’s a great effect and if you have the people to do it, it is fairly simple to execute.
As someone who loves to put lights in just about every project they make, I could not resist reading this article. Lighting in costuming is such an interesting topic, because it is something that has been creatively tackled for quite some time now. Especially in regards to theatrical design, a big constituent for hard thought is the practicality of the design, and whether the addition is necessary to bringing the design to life. I find it especially interesting to talk about the usage of lights in costuming when it comes to cosplay, and the building of costumes resembling robots and other costumes where lights come into play. When thinking about becoming a costume designer, one doesn’t really think about how something like electrical work could come into play, so this article is a perfect example of how stuff such as soldering could be key skills to creating an effective costume design. It is especially important to talk about the consideration of the safety factors that come with lighting costume pieces, because often times costume designers don’t have a background in any kind of lighting design, and all of the dangers that could come with improper execution of electrical circuiting. As a whole, something to consider when talking about the inclusion of lighting design in costume design is this: why do many college programs limit a students ability to take classes within multiple areas of design, when the areas of design often influence one another? Especially being a DP, trying to narrow down a specific area to pursue in the future is a huge factor when taking classes and going to crew calls, and it is really unfortunate that we are taught from the get-go that you can only pursue one specific area to begin with.
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