Photograph by Kevin Bain
Beeps-a-Lot Box, Arcane Device, and Stylophonic ing, he pursued refinements to his design process
Device each answer a question I hadn’t consid- and metalworking skills while an art student at the
ered: What would have happened if H.R. Giger had University of Mississippi.
decided to teach band? Now a full-time artist, Ford melds the electronics of
These graceful sculptures are working musical in- his instruments with cases that, despite their fluidly
struments produced by Gulf Coast artisan Mike Ford. seamless look, are largely composed of repurposed
Designed to evoke curiosity as well as admiration, or found pieces that he works with hand tools. His
each is heavy with mysterious controls, indicators, design is decidedly deco-industrial, a look that has
and attachments, all beckoning to be explored. captivated him since he first glimpsed the retro-futur-
Growing up in a family of Gulf fishermen, Ford istic gadgets in movies like Dune and Brazil.
learned the value of inventiveness early on. Even as This inspiration is easy to see in the wonderfully
a tyke, he embraced this heritage, secretly design- strange effectors on his instruments, whose func-
ing and building a control panel for an imaginary tions seem both obvious and inscrutable, giving his
rocket ship. Sadly, his space exploration dreams gear the look of something from a not-quite-parallel
were cut short after some critical knobs had to be world (a world where they use a lot of chrome).
unglued and returned to his grandmother’s TV set. Besides building up his stock of sculptures, Ford is
A skilled stringed instrument builder, Ford was now constructing microsynthesizers based on vin-
inspired by an article on circuit bending to start tage analog integrated circuits. I’m guessing those
modifying discarded electronics boards. Dissatisfied won’t be in plastic boxes. —Bob Scott
with common project boxes for these creations, he
began developing cases as exotic as his circuits. >>Mike Ford’s website: mikefordsculptures.com
Finding this new challenge artistically satisfy- >>His work is also featured at: getlofi.com
References:
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