Spectral Spiral - Rod Lathim

“Spectral Spiral”

Beaded Neon, Clarinet section, Bell Jar, wooden base

8” W x 15 ½” T x 7 » D

“Spectral Spiral” presents a clarinet fragment not as a silent instrument, but as a vessel still inhabited by music. Encased beneath a clear bell jar like a rare specimen, the clarinet rests on a white wooden base while a strand of clear beaded neon emanates from its opening and spirals downward in circular orbits—wrapping the form in a continuous halo of motion before vanishing into the base as if returning to the unseen.

Inside the transparent glass, a stream of pearl-like white light travels in constant flow, sometimes reversing direction, as though responding to mood, memory, or breath that can no longer be seen. The effect is hypnotic and strangely alive: not merely illumination, but kinetic intention—an improvisation of light that seems to think for itself.

In this work, sound becomes spirit and music becomes energy made visible. The bell jar does not silence the melody; it preserves it—holding the lingering soul of the instrument and the musician who once gave it voice, suspended forever in a spectral spiral.