Monday, November 26, 2007

sonic sailboat sails at mcasd


as a kid, i raced sailboats every weekend of every summer of my life. to me, racing sailboats fulfilled the same sorts of needs that going to chruch seemed to fill for others. through it, i developed a sense of community, ritual, and communion with forces greater than myself. my sonic fabric project was inspired by the small strands of cassette tape we used as tell-tails, or wind indicators. i recall imagining that, if the wind hit the tell-tails just the right way, i'd be able to hear music wafting off onto the breeze. years later i learned about tibetan prayer flags, small squares of fabric inscribed with images of mantras, or sacred sounds. this reminded me of the tell-tails, and i was immediately inspired to create a fabric woven from potential sound. to me, sails are the ultimate prayer flags. after years in the development and experimentation stages, i'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to finally create a set of sails made of sonic fabric. the installation is currently on view at the san diego museum of contemporary art, where it will remain until may 2008.

next, i'd like to create a set for an america's cup yacht, or an old wooden herreshoff.