Foghorn Elegy (2021)
Salvaged brass, hazard lights, steel, electronics, wood, acrylic paint, audio samples of brass instruments, copper plumbing.
Commissioned by The Contemporary Austin with funds provided by the Edward and Betty Marcus Foundation.
This work pays homage to disappearing and defunct methods of seafaring communication, such as signal flags, steam-powered foghorns, conch shells, bells operated by horses, cannons, and rifles. Produced from salvaged marching band equipment, the foghorn-like sculptures emit an eleven-track audio soundscape recorded on brass instruments in Parker’s garage. Facing its radio tower counterparts across the lagoon, the sculpture encourages viewer to listen deliberately, not unlike the experience of putting an ear up to a shell to “hear” the sea.
Photos by Brian Fitzsimmons. Video by Jose Lozano / Magic Spoon Productions.
