Fullmoon is a self-sustained moon phase viewer powered by solar energy. The moon model is presented on a pacific e-ink display and changes pixel by pixel at three-minute intervals. It is a small device made for slowness and subtleness, aiming to bring a layer of time perception and natural rhythm into life.
Because we don't know when we will die
We get to think of life as an inexhaustible well
Yet everything happens only a certain number of times
And a very small number, really
How many more times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood
Some afternoon that is so deeply a part of your being that you can't even conceive your life without it?
Perhaps four or five times more
Perhaps not even that
How many more times will you watch the full moon rise?
Perhaps twenty, and yet it all seems limitless
— from Paul Bowels, The Sheltering Sky, 1949
Ryuichi Sakamoto - "fullmoon" (from "async")
This project is inspired by Ryuichi Sakamoto’s fullmoon, where vocals read Paul Bowels’s famous words in different languages resonate with human’s deep sentiment of mortality. Since I moved to NYC last year, I can’t recall the last time seeing a full moon. I’m either inside a building or in the shadow of a building. I want to make a small moon phase indicator powered by a solar panel that could remind the day of the full moon and encourages us to go out, see the moon arise, and see ourselves.
I intend to make a slow tech device without dominant interaction or distracting daily habits. It is a small device that doesn’t need electricity or maintenance for 3-5 years. The only requirement is putting it near a window for getting energy from the sunlight. The e-ink has a characteristic of silence and inconspicuousness that refreshes in three-minute intervals and changes the moon phase gradually. The slow-updating moon phase viewer opens a contemplative space against the pressures of habits and familiarity from social time, and builds a connection with the natural cycle in daily life.
I bought two small solar panels from Voltaic, and decided to use the relative large one on the right side of the picture. I put it near the top of the solar cart and got some measurement. They are in good quality and meets the numbers on the backside.
Open Circuit Voltage: 6.9V
Short Circuit Current: 130.0mA
Maximum Power: 0.897W
Microcontroller Energy Consumption
Teensy 4.0: 5V, 0.10A, 0.5W
Teensy 4.0 in sleep: 5.17V, 0.02A, 0.1W (can’t wake up)