The Sufi Whirling Installation Concept
Swirling through life’s mysteries, inspired by Rumi’s poetry.
Vision:
“You will never find a dance partner than your own spirit” - Rumi
The aim of this idea is to harvest electrical energy from vibration and kinetic energy generated during the process of whirling which in turn powers lights under the dance floor. This project is an expansion of the mini-Piezoelectric Dance Floor Project.
Motivation:
The practice of whirling is closely associated with Rumi and his followers, known as the Mevlevi Order or the Whirling Dervishes. The Whirling Dervishes perform the Sama as a spiritual ritual, aiming to achieve a state of ecstatic union with God. The circular motion represents the rotation of the universe and serves as a metaphor for the soul's journey toward divine love and truth.
Rumi's poetry and Sufism have often discussed how whirling is a means to open the light of the heart, and commune with the divine.
Similarly, it is my vision that not only shall the practice of whirling be a means to the light of the heart but also a means to the physical light produced by our very own being and light. In other words, our own energy shall produce electrical energy to power the physical lights. The energy of the dervishes shall power the lights of their own dance floor.
Sufi whirling involves spinning in circles, and when a person spins, their body generates rotational kinetic energy. Since the dance floor is made of a piezoelectric material, which is capable of converting mechanical stress or vibrations into electrical energy, it could potentially generate a voltage in response to the vibrations produced by the whirling.
Moreover, the whirling dervishes often whirl for an hour and in large groups. As explained in the POC2 Analysis, this could generate a high voltage of electricity and in turn power a larger number of lights in the proposed Sufi Dance Floor installation.
As seen in the piezoelectric formula (Voltage),
V=g∗d
Where: V is the voltage generated, g is the piezoelectric coefficient of the material (a material-dependent constant), and d is the deformation or strain applied to the material.
In the case of Sufi whirling, the deformation or strain is caused by the vibrations transmitted through the dance floor due to the spinning motion. As the person spins faster, the vibrations become more intense, resulting in a larger deformation or strain on the piezoelectric dance floor.
Thus, I suspect that the very act of whirling could potentially produce a high voltage across this dance floor.
Note: This Dance floor would have to be designed according to the whirling motion of the Sufi Dervishes.
Interesting Point: An Arduino microcontroller can be introduced to this which could enable the lights to be switched on in a particular sequence.
Last updated