Call for Participation

We invite you to participate in a day of deLIGHTful Interactions at the 2026 ACM International Conference on Tangible, Embedded and Embodied Interaction! 

This in-person studio aims to bring together participants with different expertise and interests centered around lighting design, material production, sculpture, and electronics. Through hands-on activities, we will explore the magic of light-material interactions by designing and fabricating luminaires (also known as lighting fixtures). Experiments will center around the use of sustainable materials (e.g., recycled, reused, bio-based, waste-based, and/or foraged materials) and the creation of experimental luminaire forms and structures. Participants will walk away with actionable knowledge of sustainable and experimental luminaire design and have the opportunity to showcase their luminaires in the TEI Art & Performance Exhibition.

Logistics

When: March 8, 2026

Where: Griffin Museum of Science + Industry, Chicago, IL, USA

Sign Up: No application required. Plese register through the TEI website here: https://tei.acm.org/2026/

Schedule

Introduction (09:00 - 09:30): We will begin by introducing ourselves and the general goals and structure of the studio. This will be followed by a short icebreaker activity to get to know each other. The icebreaker will center around a short foraging activity, where participants will find and collect some local sustainable materials, such as waste materials, recycled materials, and/or biological materials (e.g., recycled paper, used coffee filters, fallen leaves)

Light-Material Interactions (09:30 - 10:30):  After the introduction, participants will jump into the first hands-on activity of the day. This activity will center around a light box, where participants will explore the various materials and experiment with how each material interacts with the light from the light box. Participants will be invited to share sustainable materials that they have brought to the workshop and/or foraged during the icebreaker activity. Potential materials could include bioplastics, kombucha scoby, paper, textiles, glass, and other experimental materials.

Break (10:30 - 11:00)

Lighting 101 (11:00 - 12:00): After exploring how various materials interact with light, we will slow down to discuss some of the technical aspects of lighting design. We will have a short presentation that introduces participants to basic lighting design vocabulary, the components of a luminaire, different types of luminaires, and different types of light sources. Participants will also experiment with using spectrometers, light meters, and other related sensors to measure light through the various material samples experimented with in the prior activity.

Lunch (12:00 - 13:00)

2D to 3D Interactions (13:00 - 15:00): Once familiarized with the basics of lighting design and an embodied familiarity with how our materials interact with light, we will focus on building structural forms to house lighting sources and materials. We will mostly focus on creating these forms out of low-cost, sustainable materials such as cardboard and reed using low-fidelity prototype methods and practices pulled from basketry, but participants will be invited to use any other materials and fabrication methods that they have brought. Once the forms are created, participants will explore various ways of affixing their chosen material(s) to the form and attaching their light source. Participants will be allowed to work in teams or individually on this task to design and create a luminaire.

Break (15:00 - 15:30)

Sustainability Discussion (15:30 - 16:15): After creating the luminaires, we will re-group to discuss how we can design sustainable lighting. We will talk about the impacts of light pollution on the environment and how light impacts human well-being. We will also dive into some of the material considerations when making more sustainable lighting fixtures, such as using biodegradable materials, reusing components, or selecting components that are meant to last for a long time.

Closing  Showcase (16:15 - 17:00): The studio will close with a final lighting showcase, where people will get to share their fixtures with the group. Participants will get to keep their fixtures, with the option of showcasing what they made in the TEI Art and Performance event later in the week. We will collectively clean up the studio space and say goodbye.

Organizers

Fiona Bell is an Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, directing the Entangled Ecologies Lab. Combining biodesign, material science, and human-computer interaction, she develops novel biobased and biodegradable materials that integrate with digital technologies to create ecologically sustainable bio-digital interfaces.

Adrien Segal is a sculptor based in Oakland, California. Her work incorporates both digital tools and analogue fabrication processes to create evocative sculptures in wood, metal, glass, and other media. She received a BFA in Furniture Design from California College of the Arts, where she now teaches, in addition to making commissions and public art. 

Tom Igoe is an Arts Professor at NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP) in the Tisch School of the Arts. He teaches courses in physical computing, networks, and architectural lighting. His research interests also include the environmental and social impacts of technology development. He is a co-founder of Arduino, an educational microcontroller platform. 

Contact

Please email fiona.bell@umbc.edu for any questions.