As human beings we have always been interested in electricity. Since it was first showcased by scientists in the 1800’s people have been fascinated by seeing the power of this elemental force. People flocked to Victorian ‘public spectacles’ and today we still use Michael Faraday’s many discoveries in our everyday lives.
The Faraday Cage, named after the man himself, has many uses, ranging from surrounding the microwave in your kitchen, to helping protect cars and planes from lightening strikes. Even the Brexit Secretary’s briefcase is a Faraday Cage, keeping sensitive information from prying ears and eyes.
Artist Garry Hunter used Faraday’s principles to contain and ‘sculpt’ sonic inputs, within an egg-shaped cage, creating electrical arcs from an coil upcycled from reclaimed elements including a particle accelerator and a plastic drainpipe.
Hunter has been interested in Faraday for some time and this 5-year project finally came to fruition. Working with engineers at FAB LAB RUC at Roskilde University, Denmark, he created this Faraday Cage sonic interface, which was demonstrated as part of Open House Weekend on the 16th and 17th September 2017 at Trinity Buoy Wharf, supported by TBW Trust.