SAGE 41° 17.425’ N 114° 08.79’ W

handmade paper, red cedar wood, electronics, audio

5" x 9.5" x 2"

2024

Sculpture

This is a free-standing sound sculpture. Site specific plant selection and field recordings combine in this abstraction of landscape. A sheet of handmade paper floats on a hollow box, held in place by magnetic force. Conductive thread is integrated into fibers of desert sage and western cedar to form this thin paper membrane. 

The conductive thread has two functions in this sound sculpture. First, these threads allow the handmade paper to be seated on magnets so that it appears to float. Second, these threads activate a vibration in response to electrical pulse. Once the threads are connected to a programmable sound board (ISD chip), the handmade paper sheet becomes the membrane of a low-tech audio speaker, capable of pushing airwaves into the surrounding environment.

This piece is viewer activated via a push button. Pressing the button once initiates sound playback. Pressing the button a second time stops playback. 

An audio mix of field recordings from the sage desert of northeastern Nevada is heard.

Listen to an audio sample below.