How Pagers Work
TITLE OF PIECE: How Pagers Work
EDITION: One of a kind
ARTIST: Jeanne K. J. Weiland
DIMENSIONS: 8 1/2 inches in height
9 1/2 inch diameter base
MATERIALS: Mixed media. The fairies are of polymer clay and mylar, the telephone and pager are authentic (but non-functioning)
ARTIST NOTES: After working for a number of years as the operations manager of a communications company, I became discouraged with the explanations our technical people were offering to clarify the workings of a paging system. There was considerable talk about radio frequency transmission, electronic receivers, crystals, diodes, megahertz, and other assorted nonsense. I felt it was about time to show our customers how things are really strung together. The intricate electronics are all a splendid show for those who are impressed by shiny, complicated do-dads, but the real truth of the matter is that pagers are dependent on the pager fairies. It's all very simple; you speak your message into the phone, and the telephonic fairy alerts the radio-receiver fairy to beep. I'm sure of my explanation, because when I presented this work to our technician, he was left speechless. The silent shake of his head was confirmation enough for me that I had, indeed, seen through all his electronic hoopla.
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For Questions or Comments about the Website E-mail Charlie Weiland
For Questions or Comments about the Artwork please E-mail Jeanne Weiland
This Page updated on 5/1/98