Cannupa Hanska Luger, a New Mexico-based artist, has created "Volume," an installation of clay whistles shaped like animal skulls that produce sound hourly using sensors and mechanical breath. The work is part of AIR, the Aspen Art Museum's inaugural retreat and festival, which explores the role of art in an era of rapid technological transformation. Luger discusses how the whistles, fired using multiple techniques, serve as a memento mori and draw on ancient globular whistle technology, Indigenous knowledge systems, and the idea that objects carry life.
This installation matters because it challenges conventional views of technology by framing it as a partnership with nature rather than a product of industrial revolution. Luger's work, featured in a major museum festival, highlights how Indigenous perspectives on deep time and the vitality of objects are gaining recognition alongside scientific rigor. The piece also demonstrates how art can disrupt everyday experience, prompting viewers to reconsider their relationship with time, environment, and the materials of culture.