This hanging light sculpture looks interesting from any angle, and makes nice shadows. But from one precise viewing point, a secret image is revealed! You can build a sculpture like this from any number of different materials.

Step 1: Select Your Materials

I built this sculpture using scrap plastic triangles and this brass rod. Any number of other materials could be used. You just need some stiff bendable wire (brass or copper around 1-2mm diameter are good choices) and a lot of chunks of material you can easily fasten the wire to.

Step 2: Make Attachment Points in the Chunks of Material

here, I laser-cut small holes in the plastic triangles. If using wood or metal pieces, you can just drill holes. We'll be inserting the wire into the holes so it fits tightly. As an alternative, you could not bother with holes and glue, solder or weld the wire to the pieces.

Step 3: Assemble the Sculpture

i did not plan this sculpture out much. I knew what secret shape I was making, and then I just started sticking together wire and plastic and bending it around.

Draw the secret shape you are making on a piece of paper, and tape that paper to the wall. While you are assembling, you will be constantly holding up the sculpture at arm's length and viewing against the template on the wall. then bend any piece which is out of position to fit the template.

Wear latex gloves to keep fingerprints off the pieces, otherwise you will need to clean afterwards with alcohol.

After assembly, I put a little glue on a lot of the connections to prevent shifting. Or, you could dip the entire thing in paint.