After testing the speaker wire to confirm I could use it for Flanders lace, the next step was actually making something. I needed to push the material beyond a sample and into a finished piece designed for installation.

For years, I’ve wanted to create an outdoor lace installation using wire. The problem was finding a wire flexible enough to twist and durable enough to use outside. Speaker wire solved both problems. The copper strands allow it to twist and cross smoothly, and the nylon coating provides protection that makes it good for outdoor use.

I created Suspended Noise for an outdoor installation in Georgia. To prepare for this, my Dad worked on bending a pipe structure to support the lace. I made the length of the lace to fit the form. At nearly eight feet long, about a foot wide, and weighing four pounds, this piece was quite hefty.

Just like with the sample piece, I separated the speaker wire into its two individual strands. This doubled the amount of wire and made it easier to work with. Since I used over 800 feet of speaker wire, bobbins were not practical. Instead, I bundled the wire to keep it from tangling.

Once I finished working the lace, I needed to finish the piece. I separated the ends into pairs and placed each one into either side of a small length of heat-shrink tubing. I used a heat gun to shrink it into place. This sealed the ends to protect the exposed wire from moisture.

Suspended Noise may have started as a flat piece of lace, but it will ultimately be a three-dimensional outdoor sculpture. This shows a new side of my artistry. My lace is no longer limited to indoor spaces. This is only the beginning.

Want to see the installation of Suspended Noise? Be sure to check back here for its transformation into an outdoor sculpture. You can also follow along on Instagram and TikTok, where I share works in progress and my experiments with new materials.