An Artist Carved His Dead Oak Into Records That Play Bird Songs - Yanko Design

"One thing that the world has been learning the past few years is that people deal with grief differently. That's why we can never judge how people react to death of loved ones, beloved pets, other living creatures, and even life changes. Artists and creative people in particular sometimes have profound ways of honoring whatever it is that they have lost."

"When a 65-year-old oak tree in Steve Parker's front yard died from a fungal disease called oak wilt, he wanted to create a tribute to this tree that served as a refuge for migratory birds in their area. What he created was a sound sculpture, a record player that could play actual discs with bird songs, a fitting honor to the life and legacy of the tree."

"Parker cut the trunk of the diseased tree into "wood cookies" or cross-sectional slices. He then carved grooves directly into the discs to create playable records. He then built a victrola or record player that is specifically designed to play the wooden records. This player is placed on a pedestal and the round tree slices are displayed on the walls behind it."

A 65-year-old oak tree died from oak wilt and was transformed into a sound sculpture tribute that serves as a refuge for migratory birds. The creator cut the trunk into cross-sectional slices called wood cookies and carved grooves into them to make playable wooden records. A custom victrola was built to play the wooden discs, which are displayed on a pedestal with the round slices on the walls behind it. The records carry etched songs of migratory birds that once nested in the oak, producing a scratchy, wooden sound. Live oak's cracking and warping during drying were embraced as authentic features that shape the sound. A companion instrument called Sheng Shrine uses salvaged brass valves to extend the memorial's sonic character.

Read at Yanko Design - Modern Industrial Design News