Immaculate Telegraphy

Immaculate Telegraphy was an experiment to build electronic communication from scratch in the wilderness. In summer of 2009, I set out in the mountains of western Montana without any modern tools or materials except information, and constructed a working electric telegraph from materials found on the ground. The experiment showed that electronic communication could have been constructed at any point in history given the right information.

This project was supported by the Eyebeam Honorary Residency, and hosted by the Johnson creek ranch.

This is the first time basket-weaving made me feel like a bad-ass. It doesn’t break, it holds stuff, and I made it without any tools.

This is the first time basket-weaving made me feel like a bad-ass. It doesn’t break, it holds stuff, and I made it without any tools.

Step 1: Making a Basket

I stripped the bark from this cotton wood tree that was chewed down by a beaver so that I could make a basket. The basket will be useful in collecting and carrying anything I will need along the way.

I made this basket to collect anything I will need along the way.

I made this basket to collect anything I will need along the way.

The piece of paleolithic rope shown above is the first artifiact in a chain of tools leading to the telegraph. The rope will be used in the construction of a bow drill to start a friction fire.

The piece of paleolithic rope shown above is the first artifiact in a chain of tools leading to the telegraph. The rope will be used in the construction of a bow drill to start a friction fire.

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