Dancing Dancheong
단청
A kinetic sculpture that reinterprets traditional Korean decorative painting through motion and contemporary technology.
Concept
Dancing Dancheong reinterprets traditional Korean decorative painting through motion and contemporary technology. Inspired by the structured patterns of dancheong found across historic Korean architecture, the work translates these historically static designs into a dynamic, multi-axis mechanical form. By animating cultural ornamentation through robotics and digital fabrication, the piece explores how traditional visual languages can evolve and exist within contemporary technological systems.
Process
The mechanical design was the hardest thing I had built at that point. A three-axis system with pairs of bevel gears, each connected to its own motor, with rods of different thicknesses nested inside one another. Getting the gear ratios right and finding enough torque was a long journey. I wish I had understood mechanical advantage from the start. But by Prototype 3, the motion was finally what I had imagined: layers of pattern gliding and spinning in a way that felt alive.
Wiring the motors and drivers was its own education. Every prototype taught me something new about keeping the electrical side stable. By the end, I felt much more confident managing both the code and the cables.
Tools & Tech
