The Secret Cipher is a program that transforms the soundwave of a whispered confession into a three-dimensional object. Using Processing, the Secret Cipher measures the sound volume as you speak, rendering those fluctuations at each moment. If a typical wave form is a series of lines of different heights, this program draws those lines as different sized circles. The circles are lasercut out of museum board and strung together to produce the final pendant, which can be displayed, worn, or hidden away.
A one-way encryption device, the secret is at once externalized and securely contained. The audio itself is never recorded and the original message cannot be reconstructed. The Secret Cipher gives the words we are afraid to confront a receptacle, whether we intend to reckon with it or let it go forever. Like other metaphors and symbols, it sets up a concrete relationship that we can more readily comprehend.
