Tones of Sage Hill
Louis Gluck
When first exploring Sage Hill, what immediately struck me was the noise pollution in that space. While I experience natural spaces as a way to rejuvenate my senses and experience unaltered surroundings, Sage Hill had loud cars drowning out the serenity. Upon researching noise pollution further, I learned that it can affect the health of an ecosystem and all of the organisms living in it. I set out to create a project that combined the seductive textures of sage hill with my desire to rematriate sound to the land. My music box uses textures collected from sage hill—a stump, a pinecone, and a leaf—in order to play sounds using metal tines. I laser etched the textures and laser cut the box out of wood. I like the soft natural material which has interesting joinery while still emphasizing the textured circle as the centerpiece. The noise is unsettling and tonal, challenging what we think natural beauty is and what it sounds like. Additionally, the metal tines scrape away at the soft wood leaving marks that will eventually become grooves, showing the impermanence and damage caused by imposing the industrial on the natural.
