Electroluminescent wire (EL wire) is a pretty fantastic material.. it’s cool to the touch, thin, flexible, lightweight and easy to adhere to most surfaces. EL wire comes in a nice range of neon colors, and can be used in conjunction with programmable sequencers that allow the designer to control both brightness and movement of the light (check out Diana Eng’s 2010 Fairytale Fashion project that incorporated this technology, and her geek-chic tutorial on how to re-create the looks on Make).

I’ve been dying for an excuse to give it a try, and a New Year’s Eve dance party turned out to be the perfect trial run. It took a bit of playing around at first, but I was able to transform my studio apartment into a glowing dream come true in just a few short hours. In retrospect, I should have captured some video of the lights in motion. The pink wires were set to blink steadily while the blue and green were connected to a sound-activated driver that moved along to the music (thanks youtube, for the example!). Here are a few photos of the ridiculousness..

So fun, and now I have them around for future projects! Maybe some killer Halloween costumes? Only time will tell. Happy New Year to all! Here’s to a fabulous, creative, productive and joyous 2011. Cheers!