Aten Reign Replica Light Box

James Turrell is an American artist that works with light and space. This project is a mini replica of his 2013 piece at the Guggenheim titled "Aten Reign."

My replica is an interactive art piece. There is a distance sensor, potentiometer, and speaker connected. When a user walks toward the piece the lights get brighter and then dimmer when they walk away. The potentiometer controls the colors of the LEDs. By turning the knob of the potentiometer, the user can choose a color setting. The speaker plays music continuously once the lights are turned on.

• 2x 15.5”x18”boards of Birch ¼” 
• 2x 15.5”x6” boards of Birch ¼” 
• 2x 6”x18”boards of Birch ¼” 
• 3x 14.5”x17” boards of Birch ⅛”
• Trotec Laser Cutter
• Titebond Wood glue
• Clamps
• Sandpaper/Electric sandpaper tool
• Mod Podge
• White Paint (a lot)
• Paint Brush
• Scissors
• magnets
• Led neopixel light strip
• Soldering equipment
• Extra wire to solder with
• Electrical Tape
• Bread Board
• Arduino Nano RP2040
• Distance tof sensor
• Potentiometer
• Speaker
• Duct Tape
• Clear Plastic Tape
• White poster paper
• Portable charger
• Straws
• Laptop
• Adobe
• Circuit python 

The goal is to build a shadow box with a large depth. There also needs to be several in-between layers that fit snug within it. I made some sketches to figure out a plan of action and decided upon a size for my box. I also made sure my design would accommodate any engravings I wanted and cutouts I needed.

Next, I figured out what pieces I would need to cut in order to build the box. Above shows the dimensions I chose.

Using the Trotec laser cutter I cut my pieces to size. For the three in-between pieces, I used 1/8" birch wood because it is thin and flexible. In adobe, I designed a rotunda pattern for each layer and then uploaded and cut the design. I decided to use ¼” birch wood for the box because it is sturdy yet lightweight. I made a large cutout on the front piece to create the shadow box frame effect and made sure to also include a hole necessary for my distance sensor. On one of the sides, I engraved a design. Feel free to engrave yours to your liking.

Once the wood pieces are cut, start gluing the box together. I used titebond glue and started by gluing the front piece to the bottom of the box. Then I glued the sides and bottom pieces. Use clamps to help stabilize while the glue dries. *Also, make sure not to attach the top cover of the box because it will be a removable component.

I then used sandpaper and the electronic sander on the sides of my box to make sure it is smooth and even. I also sanded down the frame of the in-between layer pieces so that they have a tight fit in the box.

Paint the entire box and the in-between layers white to create the desired effect (sensory deprivation) of a white-out. My first coat was with mod-podge so that the white paint could stick to the box easier. Once dried, I painted my box with several layers of white paint. Make sure to do multiple coats so that the box is opaque white.

Cut LED strips to size for each of the three in-between layers. Peel off the sticky backing and paste them on the back side around the perimeter of the rotunda shape. Next, carefully solder to create wires for the cut strips. Make sure to be careful! Once finished, cover soldering with a piece of electrical tape.

Position the Arduino RP2040 onto a small breadboard and then place it inside the box. Attach a portable charger to the Arduino to power the piece. Then connect all the sensors and the speaker to the breadboard. Following, carefully place each individual layer/in-between piece in the box and properly connect its wires to the breadboard. Use duct tape to help attach pieces to the box. I also, cut open straws and placed them around groups of wires to have a more organized system.

Once everything is connected, use duct tape and clear tape to tape back the wires. Following, cut white poster paper to overlay on top of the wires on the bottom piece for further concealment. Lastly, place the lid on top.

I coded on Mu in Circuit Python. Once finished, I downloaded the code to my Arduino Nano RP2040. My code for this product is attached.