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'Diversity' Torso Light
Published: 2005-08-01 11:45:39 +0000 UTC; Views: 10384; Favourites: 177; Downloads: 1703
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Description
Wall-light in UV plastic.This is my pride and joy, my favorite piece. It was made for college as the 3rd stage of a 3 part project, where the brief told us to create a light or a decorative box based on the subject of diversity. I chose to work with the human body because it's something in which we are all unique and I specifically chose the female torso as there is a constant stream of propaganda in the media of what the female shape 'should' be like.
I used a shop-dummy torso (kindly donated by the Dorothy Perkins store in Dudley) and made a plaster mould of it. I experimented with different ways of creating the female shape as a shade and ended up chosing this one, which is one sheet of plastic with strips cut into it to be reminiscent of a ribcage. This was mounted onto a separate back board with a bracket attached to hold the bulb.
I would love to make more of these in different colours when I once again have access to an oven for heating the plastic (hot air gun wont do for this) and have made a new plaster mould. I had to leave the old one behind when I moved.
Photograph: M. Doyle
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Comments: 86
I would love one in my room. =]
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How do you ask for things like that? I wouldn't know what to say. I'm scared enough to ask shops for empty boxes.
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that is really awesome. Great work! I really like the colors and the shape!
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thanks! 
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I've seen this before, I know it! Still I haven't commented or faved!!! Stupid me!
I really really totally could see something like this on my wall!!! I L-O-V-E it!
Do you sell stuff and take requests?
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Thank you! 
I do commissions but I have very little time so I try to be very realistic with what I can and can't do. And the UV plastic is a bit of an expensive material to work with, which tends to scare people off when they ask if I can make them stuff in it. 
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This is cool! Besides the shape I like the colour effect. What is the light source?
I am interested in making lights but choosing sources is proving to be a stumbling block. icon: +fav
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Thanks, and thanks for the fav!
The light source is an energy saving UV bulb. The UV plastic reacts to the bulb by glowing, the glow being at its brightest where the bulb is close to the plastic.
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The light effect is one of the coolest things about it (the actual structure is another). Do you have a link for a source for the lamp?
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I buy all my UV plastics from 'The Glowshop' [link] They also sell the UV bulbs, but they're a bit pricey. VERY nice people though!
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Thanks! That is what I needed to know. I will load a couple of shots of a sconce that I am working on. I will pm you when they are up.
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No problem, always happy to share what I know and/or recources that I know of.
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I'm lost for words but unreal work wish i could have this peice in my house... would work well with balck lights
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Thanks, I like it too. 
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i know what you mean... it seem so hard to find the time to do, even the simple things
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Thank you very much!
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wow
@.@
thats beyond cool
i love the colors !
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thank you! 
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XD
its great though !
awesomeness !!!!
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Thanks you very much.
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That is very, very nice work!
I'm kind of new to deviantart so I'm not sure if i should put this here but here goes. I'm wondering how you heated the plastic in an oven so that it is flexible but not sticky. Is it simply experimentation with different temperatures or is there a trick?
Once again, very beautiful piece!
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Thank you for your kind comment.
I'm not sure just how familiar you are with craft work, so don't go nuts if it SOUNDS like I'm insulting your intelligence; I'm just trying to explain.
The plastic used in this piece is 2mm UV reactive acrylic/perspex, aka 'lumi'. When heated in a plastics-oven at about 260-310 degrees (that's celcius not farenheit, btw) it will go soft and you can mould it into whatever you like, press it into a mould (which is what I did for this light), twist it around something, just shape it with your hands (don't forget those heat-resistant gloves!
You have to watch the plastic so it doesnt stick to the oven (using a large sheet of metal to put in on is better than just a grid) but it will only really stick if it starts to burn, although rods tend to heat much faster than sheet plastic. You know when the plastic is ready to come out as it will be completely 'floppy' and not have any rigidity left in it, which you'd have to test every couple of minutes.
I hope my explanation makes a little bit of sense; it's kind of one of those things you just 'do' once you've learned how to and you don't tend to think about it much after that.
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that's really neat, thank you for the explanation!
im just curious because i was experimenting with bending acrylic and the only thing i had at my disposal was a blowtorch and that didn't work fantastically(uneven and created bubbles)
thanks again!
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No problem.
Yeah, I can see how a blowtorch could do that! 
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that's incredible. simply incredible
<3
Precious
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oh, i was just going to say that this should be a DailyDeviation, then slowly noticed that it already was >< cause what brought me here was your fav on my 'Leading up to the Kiss," which i wanted to thank you for, so thank you. and yea, hope you dont mind if i watch you now, cause your work just compells me to. if you feel compelled to, you can watch me too ; P
<3
Precious
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Simply brilliant idea. Wonderful execution of it and it's concept. DD well deserved.
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Awesome! I love the idea of neon sculptures anyway.
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It's so pretty 
Excellent and pretty!
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Never thought about that but now that you say it...hanging a detached torso on the well IS kinda creepy...
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wth!? 
..till I couldn't resist to take a look :}
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Awesome, well done on the DD too!
Very interesting concept
Dudley isn't too far from me, hehe.
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Thanks.
Despite the whole Black Country-accent thing (sometimes I can't make out what they're saying!) I really LIKE Dudley and wouldn't mind moving back up in that direction when I finish my degree.
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Whoa, that is really, REALLY awesome! I'd so hang that on my wall
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