Build what you want, and switch it on when it's finished. As you join together each piece of scaffolding mechanically, you also form a continuous low voltage circuit, with the linking collars doubling up as electrical connectors between the various segments.
Embedded LEDs would be protected from damage by tough water-proof covers that sit flush with the circular metal pipe profile.
Obviously this means that the scaffolding becomes ridiculously complex to assemble, and prohibitively expensive, but what the hell, it's Christmas and this is the halfbakery.
Choose single colour sets or mix and match between red, green, yellow, blue and white. Use them to illuminate otherwise dreary construction sites, or build complex stand alone matrixes that act as pieces of light-sculpture, capable of forming numerous shapes, words or angular depictions of other forms.-- xenzag, Dec 11 2010 I'm picturing a kind of 3d "LightBright" which was a toy I really wanted when I was a kid until I actually played with one.
The commercial's song went something like:
"Light Bright, makes these bitchin' designs. 1 minute's fun making things with Light Bright. Draw a weiner, laugh, and then you're all done. That's about all you'll do with the stupid Light Bright."
Your idea might be more fun though. [+]-- doctorremulac3, Dec 11 2010 Doctor's anno helps explain the vast quantities of lite brite pegs I used to see lying in the gutter during the 1980s.-- ye_river_xiv, Sep 06 2011 Doctor's anno helps explain the vast quantities of lite brite pegs I used to see lying in the gutter during the 1980s.-- ye_river_xiv, Sep 06 2011 random, halfbakery