Mysterious box revealed as art project
Published: April 15, 2008 at 6:45 PM
MIDDLETOWN, Conn., April 15 (UPI) -- A Wesleyan University student in Middletown, Conn., revealed a mysterious machine that raised the curiosity of students and staff is part of his senior project.
The machine, which hangs in the art studio and occasionally creates rhythmic sounds, was a subject of curiosity and speculation among students and professors in the department until Matthew Valades, 22, revealed he created the odd apparatus as part of an art project, the Hartford (Conn.) Courant reported Tuesday.
Valades said his creation -- which it turns out is nothing more than high quality speakers placed in wooden boxes -- is part of an experiment to observe the effects of sound and light on passersby in an anonymous place, the basement hallway.
"This is a transitive space; it's really mundane and functional," Valades said. "But it's also very beautiful. I wanted to get people to pause and think about these things."
The student's project also includes multiple small white labels on what would otherwise be easily overlooked aspects of the hallway, including a label reading "Splatter" next to an old paint stain.
The machine, which hangs in the art studio and occasionally creates rhythmic sounds, was a subject of curiosity and speculation among students and professors in the department until Matthew Valades, 22, revealed he created the odd apparatus as part of an art project, the Hartford (Conn.) Courant reported Tuesday.
Valades said his creation -- which it turns out is nothing more than high quality speakers placed in wooden boxes -- is part of an experiment to observe the effects of sound and light on passersby in an anonymous place, the basement hallway.
"This is a transitive space; it's really mundane and functional," Valades said. "But it's also very beautiful. I wanted to get people to pause and think about these things."
The student's project also includes multiple small white labels on what would otherwise be easily overlooked aspects of the hallway, including a label reading "Splatter" next to an old paint stain.
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This material may not be reproduced, redistributed, or manipulated in any form.
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