“Express yourself boldly by lighting up a room when you enter – literally. Show the world who you are through electronic body art.
The Sprite Lights project started back in late 2017 and was a rally cry to blend technology with art. So many sci-fi novels, movies, comics, and more feature worlds and characters with body modifications. And while that sounds cool, we’re a long way off from that future.
So how do we create new and innovative ways to express ourselves with today’s technology? How do we blur the lines between electronics and art?
This question is how Sprite Lights was born. Created by me, Katherine Connell, it has taken winding and endlessly curious path and the project continues to evolve to this day.
It became clear over time that the latex skin was not going to be a viable option for how to adhere Sprite Lights to a body. It was fragile, required knowing how to do FX makeup applications, and there was the whole latex allergy issue to consider. I needed something more durable…
So I bought a 3D printer, learned how to model in Fusion360 and went down an entire borough (not just a single rabbit hole) of experimenting with extremely thin 3D printed skins.
But no matter how hard I tried, they just weren’t what I was looking for. They’d look okay on light colored skin, but not great on dark colored skin. Also how the heck was I going to incorporate the electronics into them? After much experimentation I landed on….
SILICONE SKIN!
The silicone skin is made from hypoallergenic silicone rubber, pressure sensitive adhesives, and contains no latex. This serves as the backing to Sprite Lights.
If it’s dirty due to dust or other small debris it can be washed in warm water to rejuvenate its stickiness. Additionally, the medical grade adhesive is gentle enough that it will not hurt or pull out any hair when removed, but is strong enough to resist sweat and stay in place for hours.
Fun Fact: The adhesive is the same stuff that is used on adhesive strapless bras, and when moved homes I affectionally labeled the box it was stored in as “boob glue.”“