Albert

This piece is a memorial to all the brave monkeys of the early days of the American space program.

There were four “Alberts” who died in our rockets. Eventually a monkey named Yorik lived through the ordeal.

Every element was found — scrap yards, second-hand stores, dumpsters — then cleaned, stripped, sorted and rebuilt. Found aluminum is TIG-welded and sanded seamless; nothing is cast. The electronics are salvaged from consumer devices, repaired and rewired so the piece does something when you touch it.