Philippe and Jacqueline Guillerm with one of Philippe Guillerm’s cello-shaped “sculptural speakers.” (Christine LaPado-Breglia photo)
Waldoboro artist Philippe Guillerm is widely known for his beautiful wood sculptures featuring found wood meticulously carved to resemble musical instruments. Guitars and members of the violin family are favorites of his.
Several years ago, Guillerm, a self-professed lover of music, began delving into the creation of aesthetically lovely high-end speakers that are in effect a combination of superiority of sound and his signature sculptures.
Guillerm’s “sculptural speakers,” as he calls them, are fashioned from new wood – often red cedar and walnut, or mahogany and walnut – and aluminum, and come in two models, cello and guitar. One can purchase a pair of cello-shaped speakers, a pair of guitar-shaped speakers, or, for those who are drawn to both equally, one of each, guitar and cello.
“First of all, it’s a sculpture,” said Guillerm in a recent interview at Philippe Guillerm Gallery in Waldoboro. “But when I designed it, the sound had to go along with it.” Tested by a number of sound engineers at an undisclosed business in Florida, the speakers offer top-notch sound reproduction, as this reporter can attest. Standing between the two speakers located at either side of the gallery, over which played a recording of Richard Wagner’s magnificent “Ride of the Valkyries” at a fairly high volume, one was swept up in excellence of sound and the clarity and separation of each instrument.
“If people are in awe to see the look, they have to be in awe to hear the sound,” said Guillerm’s wife, Jacqueline Guillerm, who works in the gallery with her husband. She was driving home the point that Philippe Guillerm’s speakers are equally excellent when it comes to both appearance and sound.
“The lines are really pure, and that’s what Philippe wanted,” Jacqueline Guillerm said. “The cones (on the back) are very organic. The back follows the front.
“All the components are there to make a wonderful speaker, but it is also a classic, ergonomic, artistic way of showing the speaker,” she said. “You have two pieces of art in your living room.”
Philippe Guillerm designed all the speaker parts. The metal parts were fabricated by Florida-based C & C Machine and the speakers were installed into each sculptural piece by a sound engineer.
“I told the engineer I would like the sound most clear,” said Philippe Guillerm. “The tweeter is very amazing. The speaker can adapt to all kinds of music.”
One can order the sculptural speakers online, but “I actually think the collector will prefer to see it. They must hear it,” Jacqueline Guillerm said. The Guillerms invite interested parties to visit the gallery to hear and see what they describe as the combination of “cutting-edge design and a sophisticated sound system.”
Philippe and Jacqueline Guillerm are currently offering a promotional price through the month of August for a pair of sculptural speakers. Contact Guillerm at philippeguillermgallery@gmail.com for further details, including speaker specs.
Philippe Guillerm Gallery is located at 882 Main St., Waldoboro. It is online at guillermsculptures.com.
