Help with light sculpture

Hello, everybody.
I'm pretty new in this forum, only one hour in.

I'd want to develop a project based in the following:

The issue is a conversation between two bulbs. When one of them will be talking, its light will vary with a succession of different intensitties, fade-ins and fade-outs. When the other one will correspond, it will do it in the same way. All of it through an autogenerated code.

My problem is that my knowledges in electronics are very limited, but I want to go away with this project. By the moment:

Someone can advise me about what could be the first step for controlling the intensity of a single bulb of 60w with arduino? Should I make my own dimmer? Could I hack one and then control it with arduino?

Thousands of thanks to whom could be interested in that question and help me.

Why use a 60W bulb? Can use hi-intensity LEDs instead and just control using PWM outputs from Arduino.
Take a look at superbrightleds.com, get some 10,000-15,000 mcd LED, run with 20mA, will be really(!) bright when on full. Put inside a small globe with diffused interior, and no messing with 120VAC required.

Or these even
http://www.mpja.com/10mm-WHITE-15000mcd-LED/productinfo/15415+OP/

Thanks, Crossroads, for your help.

I went to a shop and I asked for high-intensity leds for this kind of projects. The answer was that this kind of leds would not support a continuous switch on and off. Were them mistaked?
Can I trust in high-intensity leds if what I need is an sculpture to be changing, abruptly or not, its intensity between 8 and ten hours per day?

thank you very much

"The answer was that this kind of leds would not support a continuous switch on and off. Were them mistaked?"

I would say so - LEDs will last a lot longer than incandescents. If not, they wouldn't be the wave of the future.