Aspirate (a breath in need of an explanation 2) 2007
Kinetic sound sculpture attempting to "make real," using the physical responses of materials to sound waves, the spoken sound of the letter for aitch.
"A pure aspiration or glottal fricative with no vocalization in the larynx, the letter 'h' has (beginning in the second century A.D.) been a source of contention in that it is not actually spoken so much as exhaled. Despite attempts to consciously remove this 'excessive breath' from any language using the Roman alphabet, aitch indicates a space in the rhythm in speech that is present without being sounded. Aitch has remained as 'the trace that our breathing leaves on language.'"
This piece was shown as part of the exhibition Phantom Power at the Carnegie Arts Center in Tonawanda, NY.
An iteration of this piece was also made for Soundwalk 2009 in Long Beach, CA.