SAM REDD

The Space Ocarina is a simple, sound-emitting electrical circuit housed inside an Easter egg. It features a power switch and four buttons which alter the pitch of the tone produced by the circuit. My goal was to create an instrument of some kind, the main challenges of which were reducing the size of the wiring infrastructure and softening the admittedly irritating quality of the tone that the circuit naturally emits.

In order to soften the device's tone, I experimented with the number and placement of photoresistors in the circuit, ultimately settling on a series of low tones that fall into a minor scale between the keys of F and F#. To reduce the circuit's size to the point that it could fit into its plastic egg housing, I built numerous prototypes until I had minimized the number of connections required and free-soldered the wiring to the main active component (a 556 timer).

I succeeded in producing an entertaining toy but was even more excited to discover a serendipitous humanitarian use for the Space Ocarina. A medical professional touring our studio space at Georgetown saw the device and commented that it could serve as a therapeutic tool for her autistic patients. I gave her my prototype and she is currently testing its benefits in her own work.