Sound Gem is an an exploration of Sound, Place and Time. It is motivated by an interest in sound with a deep personal significance, contained inside an object, carried on the body. Sound that is given by someone, that belongs to a special time and place. We believe that sound has an evocative power as a container and elicitor of memory. The Sound Gem is an antithesis to the mobile phone. It consciously inverts the treatment of Time and Place. The mobile is about NOW - the sound gem about ETERNITY The mobile is about ANYWHERE - the sound gem about A PLACE The mobile is about FUNCTION - the sound gem about BEAUTY The mobile is HARD - the sound gem is SOFT How to use the Sound Gem: ~ Select a Gem that you like. ~ Go to a memory spot - a place in which to leave a sound ~ Place the Gem into the Cradle and record the sound - words, music, sounds in the environment ... ~ Give the Gem to a loved one ~ The Gem will glow when the loved one approaches a memory spot ~ The Gem can be squeezed to extract the sound ~ It will contain this sound until a new sound is found. Sound Gem Record Cradle (with red gem)