Reimaging Victor Victrola Talking Machine
2023 Eugenio Rafael Trujillo
Victor Victrola VV IX Label/Metal Badge, Victor Victrola Original Wood & Cast Driver Horn, Avox 806653-01 Cable Extensions, Curated Scrap Metal, Industrial Shelving Rack Scraps, Eminence PXB2:1K6 2-Way Speaker Passive Crossover Board 1,600 Hz, Klipsch Subwoofer 10" 6 Ohm 100 Watt Woofer, Haksul Lee Steel Bass Drum, JBL Selenium D250-X GW 1" Phenolic Horn Driver 1-3/8"-18 TPI 150 Watts 8Ω Impedance, Air-force Jack Hydraulic Reservoir Tank, 2" x 15' Ratchet Strap Tie Down 5000LB J Hook, Wheeler Bros 2026-1-313561 Pipe Swing Joint, 3 Ton Steel Service Automobile Ramp, Sold Plastic, Wire, Rubber Scraps and Acrylic Paint.66.04 x 55.88 x 17.78 cm
“26 x 22 x 7”
This piece is an reimagining and homage to the 1898 painting by British painter Francis Barraud titled His Master's Voice and to the Victor Victrola talking machine.
In his early years, Evendo Victor manufactured phonographs using horns to carry the sound. I created a mono high-fidelity two-way speaker using a Victor antique horn and designed the piece around it. These early phonographs feel very rustic so I tried to keep the same feel by adding steampunk/sci-fi/post-apocalyptic elements to it — while keeping it playful.
In His Master's Voice, Francis Barraud painted Nipper, the famous RCA Victor Dog, listening to the phonograph. In my piece, I feature Fuego the cat listening to the child Feena’s message to her mom.