Photo by Alyce Santoro via Flickr
Sonic Fabric, woven from a 50/50 blend of recycled cassette tape and cotton, can actually be played. Just run a tape head over the fabric. It sings a different tune than what was originally recorded on the tape, however, sounding more like scratching a record or radio static.
But as Sonic Fabric’s creator Alyce Santoro explains, being able to play back the tape as is isn’t really the point: “To me it’s the concept that makes it meaningful…all those sounds mixed together to form a totally unique new sound.”
For an excellent example of how Sonic Fabric both looks and sounds, check out footage from this 2004 Phish show. Jon Fishman, the band’s percussionist, not only models a dress woven from Sonic Fabric, but also proves that it can indeed double as a musical instrument.
So how was this crazy singing fabric idea born? Growing up, Alyce’s dad employed a strand of cassette tape as his “tell tail,” a small bit of fabric or yarn sailors use to determine the direction of the wind:
“When I was a kid I used to imagine that I could hear Cat Stevens or Beethoven’s 6th …wafting out into the air if the wind hit the tell-tail just the right way. Years later, I learned about Tibetan Buddhist prayer flags…[that are] hung outdoors…where their blessings can be activated and sent off into the world on the wind. It seemed a natural progression to me to combine these two concepts…”
The Sonic Fabric shop has a variety of goodies for sale. Right now neck ties and strings of flags are all the rage. If you’re feeling crafty and want to design your own fashion statement (or musical instrument), you can also buy Sonic Fabric by the yard.
Get It Here: Sonic Fabric (Ties $140, Flags $50, Yardage – contact for details)
