Faraday’s Dance
2025
LED, custom electromagnetic circuit, copper coil, 3D-printed plastic, neodymium magnets, plywood, Velcro fasteners
4 x 4 x 2 inches
LED, custom electromagnetic circuit, copper coil, 3D-printed plastic, neodymium magnets, plywood, Velcro fasteners
4 x 4 x 2 inches
Faraday’s Dance is a wearable electromagnetic device that transforms human movement into light. Inspired by Jwibulnori (쥐불놀이)—a Korean lunar new year ritual where cans filled with burning coal are swung in circles to create glowing rings of fire—this device reimagines the ritual through modern energy-harvesting techniques. Using simple components - a magnet, copper wire, and plastic cylinder - this device harvests kinetic potential energy from the same circular swinging motion of the arms. As the wearer moves, magnets slide freely through the copper coil, generating electromagnetic flux that produces electricity to power four LEDs. An internal circuit board with capacitors harvests, stores, and regulates this energy for consistent light output. The result is a residual path of light that visually records the wearer’s unique motion over time. Preserving the ritual’s circular motion and fleeting trails of light, Faraday’s Dance transforms the human body into both a vessel of cultural memory and an active generator of energy. Moving away from the body as an extractable resource, it reframes human movement as a generative act that lights space and records time.
Faraday’s Dance - Prints
2025
Silver gelatin prints, series of 3
10 x 14 inches
Faraday’s Dance Print Series I-III