SONIC FABRIC shaman-superhero costume

Alyce Santoro (Artist/Inventor)
Jeannette Santoro (Seamstress/Design Consultant)

SONIC FABRIC is a durable, versatile, audible textile woven from audiocassette tape recorded with a collage of sounds and music. The fabric is 50% polyester thread and 50% standard eighth-inch audiotape. By running a tape head along the surface of the material, it’s sonic potential is revealed. SONIC FABRIC’s creation was inspired by Tibetan Buddhist prayer flags imprinted with images of sacred sounds or mantras, and the small strands of cassette tape often used on sailboats as wind indicators, or “tell-tails”.