In early 2017 the Institute of Imagination invited artists and designers to submit proposals for a playful, interactive installation for their new Imagination Lab, that would bring the space to life and spark children’s imaginations; encouraging them to explore and experiment.

Working with Concept Shed, I put together a proposal for an exhibit consisting of a metal hemisphere covered in hundreds of identical illuminated toggle switches. The idea being that the user would have no idea what each switch did until they began to explore the hemisphere:

We were successful in winning the commission and ended up designing our own custom toggle switches with custom circuit boards, 202 of which were mounted in a spun aluminium hemisphere located on a plinth.

Here’s how we made it: