Wearable Neon with Molmol Kuo

How can we use glass and light as a medium to carry a piece of poetry with us?

In this course, we will create 2 to 3 wearable and portable pieces of neon light art that you can bring with you everywhere. We will reconsider the idea of wearable materials and their

relationship to our body, and learn how to make glass and neon light as part of an extension of our body that would otherwise not exist. Whether wearing them directly on the body as a fashion accessory or as part of a costume, or carrying portable neon signage for personal and artistic expression, the possibilities are endless. These creations don't have to live on your body—they can be part of an art bike, a car, or a creative way to promote a business or an idea while mingling at an event. At the end of the workshop, we'll host a fashion show where students can showcase their creations to the class.

An open source tool kit develop with the Future Sketches group at the MIT Media Lab in 2025 that provides a plug-and-play electronics kit to interface with neon will be used as our main physical computing tool kit through out the course. However, prior experience with programming and physical computing is not required.

Neon has been a part of architectural lighting, signage, lighting devices, and is widely used in mixed media artwork. In this workshop, we'll examine the traditional uses of neon in modern society and explore its future. For example, we'll create lights to illuminate or amplify parts of our bodies, viewing the human form as dynamic architecture—a living system of feelings and experiences that shapes our physical appearance and transforms how we carry ourselves daily.

A few questions that we are interested in exploring:

Can color and light become an extension of us, like our inner workings or aura, visualized?

Can we use lights as jewelry—what shapes and forms can we create with glass and light to

express ourselves?

Can we create sunrise and sunset and carry the magic hour on our shoulder? What if these lights could sense changes in our body or environment, becoming a visual indication of how we respond to the world?

What is the future of signage? Can we make it wearable?

Come and make interactive costumes that we can turn on and off, that react and change colors

and brightness based on our heart rate, our walking strides, or the weather. What do we want to sense and react to in the world?

"What's the simplest thing that could possibly work?”

What to expect: This workshop is for all levels. For beginners, we'll focus on design and basic techniques. For  intermediate students, we'll concentrate on making three-dimensional work. For advanced  students, we can explore incorporating lettering into wearable designs. Our pedagogy and  workshop motto begins with: "What's the simplest thing that could possibly work?" 

Clean-up time is included in the duration of class, and usually the last 20 minutes of class are dedicated to cleaning your workstation. Read more about how to prepare for class on our Registration Info page.

With neon work, participants primarily engage in standing activities such as bending and assembling neon tubes over a torch flame. Working with glass materials requires a certain level of dexterity. Learn more about accessibility on our website.

Eligibility: No previous experience required. Open to ages 14 and up.

Pick-up: Neon tubes may be bombarded during class, however should processing take additional time, students will have to return to UrbanGlass once notified to pick up their work.

This is an in-person class taking place on-site at UrbanGlass. Health and safety guidelines will be emailed to you upon registration.

We recommend registering for classes early to reserve your spot! We base materials, and teacher needs off of student enrollment. Early registration not only guarantees your spot in class, but also helps to ensure the class will run. Classes with low enrollment may be cancelled within two weeks of the start date of class. Contact our Registrar of Education, Ari Eshoo, at [email protected] if you have questions about the class or would like to arrange a payment plan.