The Making Of the HOUSE BROOCH (2022)

Satellite Dish Re-Purposing by Anne Niemetz
Located in Aro Valley, Wellington, New Zealand

Obsolete satellite dish painted with acrylic and retrofitted with a solar light, which automatically switches on at night. Inspired by the Philips PM5544 Philips Television Test Pattern. The colours of the pattern were altered to represent those of the rainbow.

Contact: anne@niemo.info

A lock-down project started in 2021 and completed in 2022 

A house with an obsolete satellite dish. Let's remove it!

     

 

The plan is to adapt the classic Philips pattern, and to also change the colours to those of the rainbow:

     

Image Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philips_circle_pattern                                                                                                          Design by Anne Niemetz

 

OK, here we go... first a white paint foundation, then sketch the design with pencil on the dish. I carefully cut out paper prints to use as masks for the text.

     

 

Then paint the dish, using fine brushes for the details and tape where necessary.

     

 

Dish painted, now on to the solar light. Using general purpose solar lights for the garden, I tried one with coloured LED backlights in it, but it stopped recharging after a short while. So I replaced the light with a simpler version, which proved reliable. 

     

 

In 2022 I finally re-attached the new dish - now a house brooch - to the former location on the house. A love declaration to the neighbourhood of Aro Valley.

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