Pulsar Signal Throw

The Cambridge Encyclopaedia of Astronomy has an illustration of one of the most profound astrological and scientific discoveries of the last century. It is the radio signal produced by PSR B1919+21, a rapidly rotating neutron star discovered by Jocelyn Bell Burnell in 1967, for which it was thought by some she should have received recognition from the Nobel Prize for her work. Alas, it was not to be; however, the discovery would go on to become one of the most iconic cultural motifs in music a little over ten years later.

This scientific expression of detecting this spectacular phenomenon in the form of sound would soon be the perfect motif for a new generation of music coming out of Manchester, England. Joy Division released their debut album in 1979 featuring a black sleeve framing the series of white lines describing the radio signals as an oscilloscope read-out from this pulsar…and a legend was born.

This simple black-and-white design comes in both the black lines on white and the white lines on black, making it a useful piece for any interior scheme. Designed here in our studio in Dublin, Ireland, and manufactured on the east coast of the United States, it is a combination of modern design techniques married to the aesthetic of the Jacquard Loom weaving process.