Spiritum

Overview

The prompt for this 5-week project was to design a luminaire that creates light for a specific purpose.

Spiritum is a memorial light designed to honor victims of gun violence — spreading the light of their memories in permanent outdoor memorials.

Credits

Kimberly Snyder (Professor)

Time

March 2023 - April 2023

Skills

Fusion 360, KeyShot 11, Wiring, Soldering, Arduino

In America, there were

> 50,000

victims of gun violence

were children & teenagers

6,192

in 2023 — according to Gun Violence Archive

How do communities honor victims?

Candle-lit vigils use flames to honor the memories of victims and allow communities to grieve and heal together

Historical Context

Use of fire in funerary practices can be traced back to civilizations in the 4th and 5th centuries

Religious Context

Many traditions of fire have religious ties such as the Jewish tradition of yahrzeit candles

Design Criteria

  • Follows the tradition of light as memory

  • Builds an elegant memorial display

  • Inspires reflection

Spiritum

Memorializing victims of gun violence through light

Storyboard

Personalize with the initials of a loved one

Thread the spike into the base of the light

Ground the light at the chosen memorial site

Place flowers into the shallow cup to commemorate loved ones

Curate a unique memorial display with a collection of lights

Personalization

The initials of the memorialized are showcased on the top face. A shallow opening at the top allows for small flowers and decorations.

Pattern

From the bottom to top, splayed books for education, light bulbs for knowledge, olive branches for hope, flames for resilience, and a dove for peace.

THE PROCESS

/

THE PROCESS /

Electronics Testing

Soldered and coded LED strips to pulse a warm light to emulate meditative breathing