During a certain season in Texas, at dusk, some tree trunks seem to be phosphorescent ... they give off a dull, blazing light. Upon close scrutiny it is found that the trunk of the tree is completely covered with discarde shells which were the outer body of certain insects. The startling fact is that the shell is intact; the form is exactly as it was when it's original inhabitant was inside, with only one difference. The inside has left, leaving the outer form which looks like an x-ray, producing the luminous effect. Suddenly we hear a chorus of sound coming from the dark leaves above. It is the sound of the insects hidden in the tree in their new metaphysical form. What is strange about the phenomenon is that we can see the insects’ shell forms clinging to the tree, empty shells, a form that life has abandoned. While we fix our eyes on these apparitions, we hear the sound of the insect in its new form hidden in the trees. We can hear it but we cannot see it. In a way, the sound we hear is a soul sound.

John Hejduk
Introduction to the Thesis Class of The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture of The Cooper Union- 1985-1986