Press your ear to the fan stand and pluck the strings. Listen closely. Vibrations travel through salvaged materials, creating deep, resonant tones.

attuned began with a question: What if I could tune the very essence of my skeleton?

This wall-mounted sculpture mirrors the contours of my torso using repurposed materials. Its form suggests a bow drawn tight, with plumbing hardware arcing like ribs, connected to electrical components and violin tuners. Copper mesh surrounds bike brake mechanisms that form the hip bone structure. Strings extend from the tuners, threading through the plumbing and electrical parts toward the fan stand, where each connection represents a vertebra ready to produce sound.

Alice Coltrane's music transports me with its profound introspection. Each note feels like a prayer, creating focused contemplation. In making this piece, I aimed to design an instrument that promotes devotion and explores how resonance can facilitate personal rejuvenation.

The construction process became a meditation itself. Salvaged plumbing fittings were carefully bent and positioned to echo the curve of ribs. Electrical conduits thread through like neural pathways. Using bike brake mechanisms to construct the hip bones became a meditation on their shared function—both designed to provide control and stability in motion. Clock gears embedded within function as both lungs and heart, pulsing with mechanical rhythm. The fan stand serves as both an anchor and an amplifier, its metal body conducting resonance throughout the entire structure.

A simple pluck activates the sculpture, creating vibrations that travel through the structure. The reverberation responds to environmental factors like humidity, temperature, and air movement. Each person who interacts with the piece produces different frequencies, making the resonance a personal experience of restoration. The sounds change with every interaction, creating unique moments each time.

The composition intentionally resists perfect tuning. Like living bones, it embraces environmental shifts, requiring constant adjustment—a mirror reflecting our bodies, often slightly out of tune, seeking the gentle caress of care. This parallel between tending to an instrument and tending to ourselves forms the heart of the work's meaning.

attuned represents my search to be centered within myself, to know my body, and to reconnect with my core values. Creating it taught me to listen more carefully—to my thoughts, to my voice, and to what truly resonates with me. The sculpture asks us to consider: How can we care for ourselves with the same attention we give to things we value?

Visitors are invited to engage directly with the piece. Gentle plucking of the strings reveals how the salvaged materials sing together. The interaction becomes an act of collective tuning—both of the instrument and ourselves.

Tuning becomes an act of care. Listening becomes meaningful conversation. The strings connect through a spine-like structure, carrying vibrations much like blood through the vertebrae. Clock gears pulse within the rib cage, marking time with quiet mechanical sounds.

The most important frequencies aren't just what we project outward, but what we hold within ourselves. Through attuned, I'm developing better self-listening skills and deeper self-understanding—one note at a time.