Collecting Fragments of Time
I am in the process of creating an Archive of Fragmented Time.
This archive will consist of a series of recordings involving decommissioned objects transfigured into instruments that pull live radio frequencies from the air. The Archive of Fragmented Time will exist as a physical drive containing images and video files in addition to existing in various forms on the internet. I will capture footage when I install the instruments in various places, but I will also welcome contriubutions to the archive. Contributions can be submitted via email or social media tagging, or using the hashtag #collectingfragmentsoftime on instagram or TikTok.
This is a work in progress launching the summer of 2023 at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden as part of the Sound Scene Festival. Soft launch at My Dead Aunt's Books on April 1, 2023.
The Trans-Harmonium is part of this project. The Trans-Harmonium is a deconstructed antique piano re-wired to play a collection of radios tuned to twelve frequencies, one frequency for each key chromatically. C is reserved for classical when possible, while A, B, D, E, F, G are tuned chronologically based on local stations. The sharps/flats are tuned in between stations, picking up static and overlapping dialog. I have toy nutcrackers that speak the language of live talk radio when their mouths open. I activate FM frequencies with a violin tuned to trigger a system of stations. These recontextualized objects function as access points to voices and songs competing to be heard.
These machines were built to travel. By documenting this work in various locations, I hope to capture an archive of audible portraits of various cities. Once this work is well traveled/documented I plan to find an institution or organization that is willing to keep the project alive. Ideally work would continue to go out on loan and generate documentation as people interact with the instrument and submit further recordings to expand the archive. Initially constructed between 2011-12, this project is ongoing.
UPCOMING
2023
April 1: STUGGLE MAG, Issue 4 Launch, My Dead Aunt's Books, Hyattsville, MD - 7:30pm
June 3-4: AFTER THE END, SOUND SCENE 2023, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington DC
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*ADDITIONAL DATES / LOCATIONS TBD
*please send installation inquiries via email