Talking Box #6 – James Dobson (Kim Kaulas), 1994, wood, paint, photograph, viewer-activated computerized voice chip, 5 1/4 x 4 1/2 x 4 1/2, (above left).   

These Talking Box pieces utilize a somewhat bizarre and already redundant primitive technology, whereby one's voice may be recorded on a one-time basis onto a computer chip, which then plays back the voice when activated.

When the button is squeezed, this box emits the following text by James Dobson, the leader of the Christian right-wing organization Focus on the Family:

“Discipline and love are not antithetical; one is a function of the other. It is not necessary to beat the child into submission; a little bit of pain goes a long way for a young child.”

Talking Box #2 – Gary Indiana (Gary Wing), 1994, wood, paint, photograph, viewer-activated computerized voice chip, 4 1/2 x 5 1/4 x 4 1/2, (above right).

When the button is squeezed, this box emits the following text by Gary Indiana, writer and art critic:

“A lot of Americans are brought up believing that people have smooth plastic between their legs.”