In 1969, Richard G. Woodbridge III submitted an abstract to the scientific journal Proceedings of the IEEE wherein he described the phenomenon of acoustic recordings from antique objects. Essentially he stated that it was possible, with the help of modern technology, to detect ambient sounds and voices that were scribed into pottery and paintings during their creation. Though this theory has not been scientifically verified or put into any kind of serious professional practice, I can’t help but delight in the concept of hearing obsolete sounds contained on the surface of an ancient relic. My imagination wanders into domestic scenarios long lost with time. Is that a dog barking outside the potter’s studio? What music was the artist listening to when he painted that color of green? A peripheral dimension lies unseen on the surface of an object and, with the assistance of technology, can be revealed.

And so it is with the objects collected, scanned, and manipulated by artist Paul Catanese. With the aid of humming overhead projectors, flatbed scanners, and computer programming, Paul unveils and sometimes invents new histories for his found objects.