Waiting with Light

In China, the problem of left-behind children has been existed for a long time since a large number of migrant workers swarmed into cities for work. Currently there are more than 6.97 million left-behind children in rural areas in China, among which Sichuan Province has the largest population of more than 700,000. Being left in villages, children hardly connect with their parents. At countless similar nights, they wait for the return of their parents. In the endless waiting, their yearning grows, their loneliness accumulates, but their emotions can not be vented properly. In traditional Chinese culture, the moon has the connotation of reposing missing. The evolution of the moon phase is the proof of the passage of time. On this basis, we create a touchable device hoping that left-behind children can use it to turn their thoughts and loneliness into phases of the moon. The device transforms daylight into a bright moon at their fingertips. It is mainly composed of structural system, removable parts and solar power generation system. The solar photovoltaic panel on the top of the device is used to store solar energy during the day, it is connected to the power controller and battery in the base through the wires inside the light board to provide electricity for the LED light panel. children can pull out the cylindrical part made of recycled plastic touch switch. By controlling the length of ‘moonlight’ tube which is pulled out and rotating it, different lunar phases are displayed on the projection panel. In this way, the lunar phase of the whole year can be recorded. When the tube is pulled out completely, the image is the shape of full moon. On the contrary, it’s the new moon or the waning crescent. On moonless night, children can record the night by pushing the tube inward which will not turn the lights on. When pulling out the tube, switch bounces and the light goes on. At the same time, rope pulls brake sack around so that the light can slant through the hole at the back of the tube. The image is upset, amplified and exactly displayed onto projection panel through convex lens at the front. When left-behind children miss their parents, they can pull out the ‘moonlight’ tube according to the day’s moon phase as a different form to express their thoughts. With the deepening of the thoughts, the tube becomes brighter and brighter while the day of reunion gets closer and closer. Moonlight is an extension of sunlight in the dark night. Meanwhile, our installation is another manifestation of this extension.