Project N1
N for Najeon
Project N1 brings traditional Korean mother-of-pearl inlay and lacquer into a contemporary speaker. The project began with a question about how these craft techniques could change the form and presence of an audio object.
- Materials
- Birch plywood, lacquer & mother-of-pearl
- Collaboration
- Master Kim Jong Pyo
- Status
- Ongoing acoustic research
A collaboration in craft
I designed the exterior, inlay patterns, and internal structure, while Master Kim Jong Pyo made the physical body to the design. Russian birch plywood, seven layers of lacquer, and carefully refined mother-of-pearl patterns give the object its surface and structure.
A changing silhouette
The side panels reveal the inlay and create a wider, more sculptural presence around the speaker cabinet. The reflective lacquer and shell patterns sit alongside the visible speaker drivers.
Inside the cabinet
The open cabinet reveals the wiring and components behind the lacquered exterior. These photographs record the interior during assembly.
Assembly at the workbench
A record of the hands-on assembly process, from working inside the cabinet to connecting the components at the bench.
Bringing the components together
The speaker takes shape as the drivers, cabinet and electronics come together. The photographs show different stages of the assembly.
Material success. Acoustic work in progress.
The body achieved the material result I was looking for. The speaker works, but its sound has not yet reached the quality I want. I have kept the project unfinished as part of a longer investigation into producing more sound than a visible structure seems to promise.