This piece of interactive sculpture consists of a 2.5 inch hard disk drive, (salvaged from a laptop computer), an infrared proximity sensor, some additional electronic components and two small pieces of plexiglass. The hard drive is mounted to one piece of plexiglass which serves as the top of a container for the electronic components and proximity sensor. The dimensions of the piece are 3.5 inches wide, 5 inches tall and 1.5 inches deep.

Following some simple instructions written on the piece’s label in a gallery, when a participant, (i.e. viewer), puts their ear within eight inches of the piece, the hard disk begins to spin and produce sound. This creates an intimate experience for the participant, who is now listening to the operation of a hard disk drive spinning within inches of their head.

The drive is producing information, just not in the originally intended manner. The data contained on the disk drive is irrelevant to the experience of the piece – rather the participant is experiencing a material fascination with an object that many of us use everyday, yet never fully understand.

This piece requires access to 110V AC (standard wall outlet).