Featherding (1974)
Commissioned by Barbara and David Barr.
The controlling unit (Brain) was designed to occupy space over a window.  Ding and Feather Flop were wired to Brain and located in  the bedrooms of the Barr daughters, Heather and Gillian.  The inputs to Brain that activated the sculptures were generated by a sculpture outside, Wind Piece.  

The Brain in which wind data represented by red LEDs rolls up the "wings" to the logic center.








Wind Feeler sent data sreams to two inputs at the Brain
"Ding" performed on the Brain's command rarely and can be turned off.
It  and Feather Flop are controlled by the Brain.
The concept of the Feather Flop reappears in
 the Falling Dollar of the Senate Piece and again in Farmer Jack.


Mosquito Fish Snake
Mosquito Fish Snake. (1984)
A storm destroyed the Wind Feeler after David moved  his residence to Novi, Mi. He asked that I replace it with an interior artwork, Mosquito Fish Snake, which could send  Brain similar inputs.    I created an input similar to that of the wind feeler with two light sensors.  He also mentioned that he would like an alert signal when a car drove into his driveway so buried a magnetic sensor in his driveway and added a beeper to the new unit.


jim(at)jpallas.com