Before creating a frame for the installation piece, I needed to figure how to physically move the projection surface. After much trial and error (and a long tangent researching and testing “linear actuators” which was expensive and not successful), I decided that an inexpensive servo attached to an arm with a joint would be the best solution. Servos spin, and you can control the angle of rotation, so I simulated a servo in the early prototype stage with a spool of thread:
With this setup I was able to calculate different angles and length of “arms” to get the necessary “push.” The balsa arms are attached with fishing line so they are flexible, and the plan was to attach the far end to the projection surface.