We built this library commissioned by MUDEC of Milan to present the meaning of a statue of a Chinese chimera.

Each shelf has an hexagonal shape and express a meaning for this statue and for its culture. Everything is connected by a system of arduino that manages the lighting through a timer. This is only a prototype and so the dimensions are reduced. The hexagon has a height of 25 cm, a thickness of the plywood of 1 cm, while the shelf has a depth of 15 cm. Now we’ll show you how to create the structure.

ITEMS NEEDED

5 hexagonal panels with a height of 25 cm
30 rectangular panels 15x14 cm

1 rectangular panel 22x10 cm

white matt plexiglass

white plexiglass

1 m strip of LEDs 1 m

red fabric

wire

yellow nail polish

black, white, red spray cans

attack glue

newspapers/ magazine

perfume bottle

mirror

screws

black reflective film

Step 1: LET'S BUILD THE STRUCTURE!

1. Design

Design on Inkscape the hexagon vectorizing an already existing image for the proportions to be maintained

Finally cut the plywood with the lasercutter. ATTENTION! for the shelves on which you want to fit something, previously design a cut based on height equal to the thickness of the object you want to fit.

2. Structure assembly

Attach everything through nails, two on each side.

Step 2: FIRST SHELF - CHIMERA

STEP 1

1. Retrieve a black-and-white image of the Chimera (or anything else) and vectorize it on inkscape

2. Bring it back to a plywood pane

IMPORTANT! under the image you’ll create a rectangle of the size of the cut previously made on a wall of the shelf and add it to the image. It will then be thanks to this that the image will fit into the shelf.

3. Apply a ribbon of white LEDs on the upper side and another on lower side to illuminate the Chimera.

Step 3: SECOND SHELF - (SMALL THEATRE WITH CHINESE SHADOWS)

1. Draw an image of a Chinese Demon on inkscape

2. Cut and decorate it with the engrave.

3. Create a hole on the back to insert the LED light in order to project the shadow of the demon on the wall of plexiglas

4. Cut an hexagonal plexiglas panel

5. Apply the image of the demon to the center of the plexiglas panel

Step 4: THIRD SHELF - IDEOGRAM OF VITAL ENERGY

1. Paint the inside of the shelf in black

2. Vectorize on inkscape the image of the ideogram of vital energy

3. Cut it with engrave on an hexagonal panel of plexiglas

4. Inside, behind the plexiglas panel apply a strip of LEDs on the perimeter

5. Finally attach with some glue the frame on the front of the shelf previously cut with the lasercutter

Step 5: FOURTH SHELF ( INFINITY MIRROR)

ATTENTION! on the lateral panels of the shelf make two parallel incisions far apart from the width of the led strip 1. Apply on a plexiglas panel a reflective black film

2. Cut the hexagonal panel and add in the design of the interlocking tabs in the outer slot

3. Fit it on the hexagonal shelf

4. In the space between the two slots apply a strip of LEDs on all the perimeter

5. Cut the mirror with the same shape and fit it in the second series of cracks

6. Finally attach with some glue the frame on the front of the shelf previously cut with the lasercutter

Step 6: FIFTH SHELF (FLOWERS AND INCENSE)

1.Decorate with some flowers made by engrave the background of the shell

2. Create two fabric flowers

ITEMS NEEDED FOR THE FLOWERS: Two stripes of red fabric, one for each flower, and cut along the length to shape the flower’s petals and sew them togheter to create the flowers. PAY ATTENTION! You should leave a little hole to fill with the stem. ITEMS NEEDED FOR THE STEM: Model the wire as a round shape, and dip it into the glue; Let it dry and paint it with yellow nail polish; With this stem fill the hole left before in each flower.

3. Paint an INCENSE bottle with white and bue paint. Let it dry and put it on the shelf.

4. Paste a LED stripe only in the upper side of the shelf.

Step 7: ARDUINOs STEPS

Make a Skech with Neopixel per strip and ring led from Adafruit

Connect LEDs stripes to arduino and to the different PINs, write the LOOP correctly

Give power to the Arduino

ARDUINO_CINA.ino
Download

Step 8: CREDITS

Made by Barberi Carlo, Marchesi Sara, Scordi Alessandro, Ferrario Riccardo, Tarzia Ariannna, Lo Scalzo Chiara 4thB Liceo Scientifico Luigi Cremona, Milano.

Project realized during the internship at WeMake (https://www.instructables.com/member/WeMakeMilano/)in collaboration with MUDEC - Milano.