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.