Biodegrable Rooibos Biocomposite Smart Hanging Luminaire (Conceptual Interactive Experience)

A biodegradable intelligent hanging luminaire, shades made from a Rooibos biocomposite material. The luminaire functions in conjunction with cornice lighting, mainly as an informative light that notifies users of missed notifications from various social platforms, e.g., LinkedIn job notifications cause the luminaire plus cornice lighting strip to change to a solid blue hue, WhatsApp notifications causing the light to emit a green hue, etc. A build-up of notifications causes light to pulsate the individual hues, differentiating between apps. Another interactive experience is the movie pairing feature, which allows users to set the mood for viewing the movie genre by selecting between a range of hues, e.g., horror movies change between shades of oranges and reds. At the same time, comedies cause the luminaire to emit happy colors such as yellow.

• Rooibos(waste) teabag (Approximity 60 teabag waste)
• Soudal PVA glue
• Vaseline/ Petroleum jelly (mold release)
• Hot water (half a standard cup)
• PET vacuum-forming plastic (for creating molds)
• Rope/Thread

Tools/Equipment

• Disposable plastic molds (x4)
• 100mm LED strips (x4)
• Mixing Bowl
• Disposable gloves (for layering material in/on the mold)
• Scissors

1. Gather all material together. Once the teabags have dried, start by removing all the rooibos fillings from the bags, and pouring them into the mixing bowl.
2. Add a cup of hot water, followed by 125 ml of PVA glue to the mixture.
3. Mix everything together till a thick consistency is reached.

1. After vacuum forming the molds ( 3-4 needed), drill small drainage holes into the mold to allow moisture to evaporate easily.
2. Afterward, apply petroleum jelly to either the inside or outside of the mold (the final texture/appearance will depend on which side was used when layering the material). Petroleum serves as a mold release agent and helps the material adhere to the plastic mold.

1. Once molds are prepped and ready, start layering material inside or outside the mold and let the material air and sundry for a few days till hardened.

1. Once the material has dried and conformed to the shape of the mold, the plastic mold allows for a bit of flexing, which helps in removing the mold. Depending on whether the inside or outside of the molds was used in layering the material to form the shape, demolding will require cutting away the mold to get the.

1. Once de-molded, either using sandpaper, Dremel, shears, or clippers, sand off/cut away any excess parts formed on the surfaces.

1. Ideally luminaire hangings in a cluster of 3-4(customizable to personal preference). Using 850mm stripes of Soumak weaved twine/hemp or any perishable rope, glued on 2 sides of each shade, all tied together by another stripe of rope.
2. Led strips( attached by double-sided tape to the inside of shades,, electrical fixed together, connected to a live wire.

Once connected to live wire, Luminaire may be turned on and enjoyed.