Model of Communication (2022)
interactive sound installation 

When the viewer moves close to the work, a sensor is triggered, starting the movement of a small hammer, which taps out the English message “Nice to meet you” in Morse code from left to right. When it reaches the end, the hammer switches direction, to tap out the equivalent Japanese message “Hajime-mashite” from right to left. This process repeats itself until the viewer moves out of proximity from the sensor.

 

The sound of the tap of the Morse code changes along the tube due to the difference in physical properties between glaze and clay. The two ends, representing different languages with different sound content, are like two individuals talking, and the sounds gradually changing as the movement of the hammer continues is like the message transmitting. The irregularities of the slurry - the mixture of clay and glaze - and the cracks which occur randomly during firing, increase the inaccuracy and unpredictability of the sounds, revealing the difference in message cognition and some faint mutation of content in the transmission. To aid viewers’ understanding there is a simple Morse code table in front of the device. The time the audience takes to interpret the work gives a sense of the gap or delay in communication.