Study for a chakra totem, 2016
Notebook sketch and circuit diagram for each of the seven human chakras compiled in a single sculptural totem. The drawing reads from the bottom of the left page to the top; resuming at the bottom of the right page and ending at the top. The circuit design for each of the chakras relates to the energy of that center. The root chakra provides positive energy, ground, and negative energy. The sex chakra lights an LED, the intensity of which is determined by a heat-sensitive thermistor. The gut chakra is not really its own circuit, but I honestly cannot understand why the gut is not included in the 7 primary chakras. Anyway, here it is a looping intestine of wires. The solar plexus chakra illuminates according to ambient signals detected by a piezo electric sensor. The heart chakra is an astable multivibrator with asymmetric capacitors, producing a pulsing light like the beating of a heart. The throat chakra is a speaker driven by the mind and crown chakras (although I should really couple in signals from lower energy centers). The speaker is driven by mind and crown frequencies that are summed in the mind. The mind also contains a timer circuit to generate its own adjustable and mostly digital rhythm. The crown chakra is a simple crystal radio receiver.