Bone-i-fone

Acoustic Relics from an Alkaline Shoreline

Experimental sound objects

Bone-i-fone is a series of experimental sound objects I developed using materials collected along the alkaline lake near my home in rural Alberta. Each piece begins with a large, salt-bleached bone, often remains from cattle grazing the surrounding grasslands, that has been visibly altered by the lake’s high mineral content. These bones document ecological conditions such as mineral accretion, cyanobacterial presence, and exposure to fluctuating water levels.

I integrate salvaged electronics into these porous structures, including discarded speakers, broken headphones, outdated phones, and small radio components. Once assembled, each Bone-i-fone functions as a hybrid acoustic device that combines found organic material with repurposed technological elements. The objects emit soundscapes recorded around the lake, including wind, water movement, and digitally processed tones that interact with the internal cavities of each bone.

Through this work, I investigate how specific materials, bone density, mineralization patterns, and structural voids, shape acoustic behaviour. I approach listening as a situated research method, where sound is produced through the interaction of ecological processes and technological components.

Bone-i-fone extends my ongoing inquiry into sound art, material ecologies, and reuse-based practices. It offers an alternative approach to instrument-building in which environmental conditions and found materials directly influence form, function, and auditory output.