Photography by Monica Mills (left) and Alyce Santoro (right)
Throughout history, music has played an important tape, they too became inspired. With the added input, role in our social, political, and religious rituals. It’s the project took on a life, or lives, of its own. been used to express the most elusive of emo- Her friends suggested various techniques of weav-tions and situations: love and loss, conquest and ing and decorating the cloth, but friend Joe Ball oppression, joy and mourning. You name it, there’s made one of the most significant contributions. He a piece of music that will fit it. And now, the music suggested they might be able to listen to the tape. can fit you: Alyce Santoro has created a series of Until then, the music was purely symbolic. Sure, products that allow you to wear your music and Santoro knew it was there and what it represented listen to your clothes. to her, but her creations remained silent to others.
As a child, Santoro would watch the tell tales, “It hadn’t occurred to me that it might actually be made from cassette tape, of her family’s sailboat, possible to hear them,” she says. “And sure enough, and imagine them playing their song to the by simply retrofitting an old Walkman by mounting breeze. Later, she learned about Tibetan prayer the head on the outside, Ball created the first Sonic flags, whose sacred mantras are released by Fabric reading apparatus.” the wind and carried out into the world. The two Santoro even crafted a dress for Jon Fishman, seemed to fit together. drummer from the band Phish. The Sonic Fabric
Using cassette tape recorded with music and was woven using tape culled from Fishman’s exten-sounds significant in her life, the New York-based sive collection, and the dress was “played” onstage artist started making fabric. She had planned to pro- in Las Vegas, using specially designed tape-head duce enough material to make only a few prayer flags, gloves during a 2004 Phish show in. but when her friends saw her knitting and crocheting —Josie Moores
>> Sonic Fabric: sonicfabric.com
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