The New York-based artist Hanna Sandin works across the spectrum from sculpture to jewelry, sometimes – as in the Transmission Object shown here – landing smack in the middle. The elegant brass form suggests that of a musical instrument, yet it could also be worn, or of course left on its plinth, as an autonomous abstraction. However considered, the work suggests various forms of “transmission”: meaningful communication, as in what Sandin describes as a “hearing trumpet”; liquid exchange, as in distilling equipment; or the very idea of passage itself. The companion works made of lightning rods, a material meant for transmitting electricity, are rendered in zigzag form. The “hearing trumpets,” hollow, undulating forms in brass transmit speech as sound, while also providing a way to focus attention.

Note: base is shorter than appears in the image.