Smoke Detector

Wood, plaster, paint, acoustic foam, light, sound;  2000;  53” diameter, 10” deep

An over-sized replica of a smoke detector hangs high on a wall.  A red “low battery” indicator light flashes every 30 seconds.  Speakers inside the piece play a recording of a computer-simulated voice, reading accounts of weather from diaries of nineteenth century American pioneers.  Instead of one loud instance, there is a constant low level emergency.