We are the pre-development team for one of the Fontys contributions to GLOW 2025. This project has challenged us to work together to create an engaging and meaningful experience for the visitors of the GLOW festival. To enhance the engaging and meaningful experience, we had to think creatively.
Project description
The goal of this project is to design and create a prototype of an innovative light installation to participate in the 2025 GLOW festival in Eindhoven. The prototype must be easy to scale up to a life-sized installation by a next group of students who will finalize the design for display at GLOW in November.
Inspired by the concept of photosynthesis and natural blooming patterns, the installation consists of a large central mechanical flower surrounded by thirty smaller flowers. These flowers open and close in a ripple sequence triggered by a lightbulb positioned above the garden, combining motion and illumination to create a visually captivating effect. The prototype focuses on interactivity, sustainability, modularity, and safety, in line with user and system requirements provided by the GLOW committee.
Project results
The team undertook an iterative design and testing process, covering mechanical design, PCB development, and actuator control via custom Arduino code. Detailed documentation – including software architecture, mechanical drawings, and test results – ensures that future teams can build upon the current prototype to finalize the installation for public exhibition.
The “Garden of Flowers” successfully integrates artistic vision with technological innovation, offering a meaningful and immersive experience that aligns with GLOW 2025’s theme: The Light. A preview is shown in the video below.
Video
Acknowledgements
The student project team (Rob, Adnan, Mihail, Ivo and Luuk) wishes to thank the GLOW committee and the GLOW academy for their support, and the Fontys Electrical Engineering teachers Johan van Rens and Harold Benten for their coaching during the project. This creative project has been an amazing experience for us.