See related story: A Look at Engineering a Shape-Shifting Chandelier
The Robot Overhead:
Pandora’s guts consist of four powerful servomotors, normally used for robotic arms and machinery on production lines, connected to industrial controllers. Spindles with spools of varying diameters power different strands at different speeds.
Powering the Web:
All wound up, the device reveals a fairly straightforward solution, despite the web of wires.
“Potentially, it could have been a very, very complex mechanism,” says Moritz Waldemeyer, noting that his goal was to make hundreds of crystals behave in a seemingly random way. “I came up with a relatively simple way of doing it that uses only four motors.”
Pandora‘s Box:
After construction in London, the unit is boxed for shipment to Milan — only it’s too big for the truck. A larger truck is ordered at the last minute, and the chandelier is soon on its way.
Custom control:
Moritz Waldemeyer shows off his custom control box for Pandora, which looks like it could just as easily operate a trash compactor.
Crystal Power:
With the unit strapped to the ceiling beams of a warehouse in Milan, workers begin threading 2,000 1.5-inch Swarovski crystals onto the 600 wires.
Heavy Metal (With Crystals):
All in all, the chandelier is hung with 440 pounds of crystal beads — which is why Moritz Waldemeyer specified such heavy-duty servomotors at the beginning.
Illusion of Confusion:
Appearing to float on air, the crystals only unite in the form of a classic chandelier for a split second, after which point they break away at different speeds.
Hello, Lolita:
In previous years, Waldemeyer worked with designer Ron Arad to produce interactive chandeliers for Swarovski. Here, Lolita is put through her first test on the floor of the studio.
Palm-Programmed Art:
The Miss Haze chandelier is another collaboration with Ron Arad for Swarovski. It plays back images drawn on a Palm, delivered via Bluetooth link.
Light Show Tedium:
Assembling Miss Haze was no easy feat – each individual crystal hangs from its own wire.
I Heart Miss Haze:
Throughout the day, passersby sent text messages to Miss Haze, who bares her heart for all.
The Mechanics of Dress:
For fashion designer Hussein Chalayan, Waldemeyer built the innards of mechanical dresses. Small motor winches and electronics turn the clothing into transformers.
Attire? Dress as a Cyborg:
Halfway through assembly, one of the dresses looks more appropriate for a self-styled cyborg than the runway.
Fashion Forward:
One of the completed dresses features a self-expanding skirt that takes the garment from a ’40s style to the ’50s. From there, it can shift to the ’60s (not shown).
Reprogramming the Kitchen:
Waldemeyer programmed Zaha Hadid’s futuristic kitchen, including LED displays integrated in a Corian countertop, which was shown at the Guggenheim in New York.
Home Upgrade:
To complete the final tweaks on the Zaha Hadid kitchen, Waldemeyer used an “ancient Toshiba Libretto which I keep because of its tiny size and okay performance for programming while traveling.” He’s since switched to a MacBook.
