great ideas - thanks!!! what I'm building is a kinetic model/ sculpture - basically a wide (2"/ 50mm) ribbon dropped from the ceiling, with a series of "cross bars" (about 600-800mm long (24-32")) on 150mm (6") centres.
The ribbon is turned via a mechanism at the top (attached to the ceiling) so the ribbon allows the cross bars to form a spiral shape in the air - the speed and direction of the turning changes the shape of the effect. I saw this many many years ago in a casino, and on the tips of the cross bars were small crystals... my version (I'm hoping) will have SMD LEDs on the the tips of the cross bars, with the electrical connections inside the supporting ribbon. With a black ribbon, and black/grey cross bars, the lights will be the main visual feature.
the turning mech at the top is the easy bit, the lightweight cross bars is the challenge since they have to be light enough that the ribbon is not being pulled so taut it dampens the twisting of the setup.