Client: Creative Capital

Overview

This innovative, artistic circuit generates electronic birdsong. The edition of 150 artworks was commissioned by Creative Capital for their 25th Anniversary Retreat Celebration. Retreat attendees were given the artwork as an unassembled kit, and were invited to build the circuit as an education about electronic design. The assembled piece measures 4″ x 6″ x 0.5.” To create this series, artist and engineer Kelly Heaton designed a circuit that actually *generates* bird-like sounds (not audio recordings), and she had the circuit boards manufactured in Shenzhen, China. The circuit traces are plated in gold and provide a beautiful contrast with the green soldermask. The raw fiberglass of the circuit board is translucent when held up to light.

Goals

Creative Capital wanted to give their retreat attendees a small, special work of art that was affordable to reproduce in large quantities. As a former grant recipient from Creative Capital, Kelly Heaton was commissioned to produce this edition in her signature style: the combined use of art and technology to depict the spark of life.

Additional Information

Kelly Heaton is a visual artist with a master of science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her work combines art and technology to make scenes of nature that seem oddly alive.