How To Make A Rainbow With A Prism Dance To Music

I was in Victoria B.C. in the early 80's and there was a multimedia arts project on the hillside of Beacon Hill Park that was designed to do just that. It was a wonderful relaxing experience that I carry with me today.

Now to be fair I don't remember if the structure we were in was a tent or some sort of permanent structure. I tried looking for the place we experienced the rainbows dancing but failed to find it. So I have to rely on memory and imagination to describe it to you.

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What we need to pull this off is a dark area with a light colored curved wall. The secret is it has to be dark. The other requirement is sunlight. Once to have that down you can make the rainbow generator.

If you remember make a periscope as a kid you'll get this project down easily. Imagine a long tube with a mirror at one end angled to reflect sunlight down the tube and a large crystal sun-catcher at the bottom end of the tube. The creates a rainbow spectrum at the bottom of the tube inside the tent or whatever structure you have.

Collect some different reflective materials of varying textures and materials. Mylar, tin foil, mirrors, anything that reflects light. The object is to reflect the rainbow from the crystal up onto the wall of the structure. Bending and twisting the rainbow to the sound of the music makes for a trippy experience for anyone relaxing inside the dark confines.

The rainbows are awesome by themselves but blending them with relaxing music will create a mood or an awesome experience.

1. Use duct tape and tape over the end of a cardboard mailing tube to create a holder for the crystal lens. The point of the crystal goes into the tube. Be sure there is lots of exposed surface on both sides of the tape holder.
2. Line the inside of the tube with reflective mylar.
3. Attach the mirror so it sits at a 45 degree angle. Angle it so the sun is reflected down the tube and through the crystal.
4. Insert the tube through a window or dark curtain so the light comes into the dark room only through the tube and crystal.
5. Use the flexible mylar to distort and move the resulting rainbows and project the images onto the wall. Move the images in time to some relaxing music and enjoy the light show.

To be fair, take turns being the projectionist/DJ. This allows the viewers to fully relax and enjoy the show.