Joseph Tuck

Joseph Tuck is a craftsman. As a child he loved sitting on the floor of his mother’s office playing with old copier paper. He’d mark, fold, and roll the paper into fantastical shapes that would become the prototypes for his later designs. From these humble beginnings, Joseph has graduated from mere paper to extravagant lightweight designs bordering on the ephemeral.

Joseph is endeavoring to bring the ancient art of alphorn construction into the modern age. Traditionally the alphorn is constructed of a singular tube of red pine bent from heavy snowfalls. Seeing this as an unsustainable practice Joseph is seeking to redefine the craft to use materials more readily replenished and environmentally safe.

Joseph, unfortunately has been met with distain in his efforts to modernize alphorn construction. In 2021, he attended the International Alphorn Festival in Nendaz, Switerland. Joseph brought an alphorn made from papier-mâché in homage to his own humble labrophone experiments first started with rolled up used copier paper. His intent was to showcase sustainable alphorn construction from recycled materials. A brief rainstorm put an end to what was to be his inaugural appearance on the international stage seeking to revolutionize the traditional wood construction techniques. Rain fell in a hollow patter quickly melting his alphorn into a 5 meter long pile of pulp paper mush. The already apprehensive traditionalists grew antagonistic, deriding his efforts and pelting him with muesli and stale rösti. Joseph was forced to retreat.

In the years since Joseph has continued his work branching out into more avant garde materials. His dream is to return to Nendaz, lips pursed, sounding a triumphant, barbaric yawp across the roofs of the world through a horn made of oatmeal and corn shucks.

 

Joseph attended Oklahoma City Community College for psychology then the University of Oklahoma majoring in biochemistry and investigating ways of producing shark squalene so it no longer needs to be harvested from shark livers.