Paul DeMarinis - Daniel Sauter

Firebirds(2004)!
Oracular flames kept captive within birdcages
recite speeches of some political leaders of
the twentieth century. Gas flames, suitably
modulated by electrical fields can be made
to act as omnidirectional loudspeakers of
surprising clarity and amplitude.!
Firebirds is based on a scientific experiment from
the Victorian area, in which Chichester Bell
discovered that a membrane stretched over
a gas flame produces audible vibrations in
the flame, resulting in a kind of "flame
loudspeaker." Gas flames, suitably
modulated by electrical fields can be made
to act as omnidirectional loudspeakers of
surprising clarity and amplitude.!
Image courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/danielhirschmann/43020893/!