Kagen Sound (formerly Schaefer) is an American

puzzle box A puzzle box (also called a secret box or trick box) is a box that can be opened only by solving a puzzle. Some require only a simple move and others a series of discoveries. Modern puzzle boxes developed from furniture and jewelry boxes with ...

and puzzle furniture craftsman, and is recognized as a leader in these fields. Sound has developed a worldwide following, and is recognized as a Friend of the Karakuri Creation Group, the world's only puzzle box guild, and remains the only member of this group to be of non-Japanese origin (as of June 2017). He has won more awards at the annual International Puzzle Party (IPP) than any other designer.

Early life

Sound spent his childhood in

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

, at which time he developed an interest in mathematics. He would often draw elaborate mazes in primary school, and was first introduced to puzzle boxes by a fellow student in his first-grade class. He began designing his own puzzle boxes in middle school. After completing high school, Sound attended

Colorado College Colorado College is a private liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It was founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell in his daughter's memory. The college enrolls approximately 2,000 undergraduates at its campus. The college offer ...

, where he received a mathematics degree in 2000. He then began working as a teaching assistant in the college's mathematics department, as well as assisting in the art department's woodworking studio. After his first win at the Nob Yoshigahara Puzzle Design Competition in 2002, Sound took a series of woodworking jobs in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

and

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, before relocating to

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

to focus on improving his skills. He returned to Denver in 2005.

Career

Sound's work has attracted celebrity attention, with film director

Darren Aronofsky Darren Aronofsky (born February 12, 1969) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. His films are noted for their surrealistic, melodramatic, and sometimes disturbing elements, often in the form of psychological fiction. Aronof ...

commissioning him in 2007 to create a custom work known as the Pipe Organ Desk. The desk took a total of four years to design and build, reaching completion in 2011, and is made from exotic woods such as South African

pink ivory Pink ivory (''Phyllogeiton zeyheri'', syn. ''Berchemia zeyheri''), also called purple ivory, red ivory, umnini or umgoloty, is an African hardwood used to make a variety of products (for example: billiard cues and knife handles). The pink ivory ...

, ''

Lignum vitae Lignum vitae () is a wood, also called guayacan or guaiacum, and in parts of Europe known as Pockholz or pokhout, from trees of the genus ''Guaiacum''. The trees are indigenous to the Caribbean and the northern coast of South America (e.g: Col ...

'', and Bastogne

walnut A walnut is the edible seed of a drupe of any tree of the genus ''Juglans'' (family Juglandaceae), particularly the Persian or English walnut, '' Juglans regia''. Although culinarily considered a "nut" and used as such, it is not a true ...

one of the world's most valuable woods. The total cost of materials equated to approximately $10,000 (USD), and was sold for the price of a “nice car”. He experienced a significant increase in demand in 2012, when ''Fine Woodworking'' magazine published an article about the desk. Another notable design of Sound's is the Lotus Table, the top of which is composed of ten concentric rings of inlaid wood which must be rotated to create geometric patterns. If the correct patterns are formed, drawers will open in sequence, resulting in the table resembling a

lotus flower ''Nelumbo nucifera'', also known as sacred lotus, Laxmi lotus, Indian lotus, or simply lotus, is one of two extant species of aquatic plant in the family Nelumbonaceae. It is sometimes colloquially called a water lily, though this more often ref ...

. The first prototype of this table was completed in 2010, after development since at least 2008. This design was also transferred across to a series of boxes beginning with a prototype in 2011 and later consisting of the Caterpillar, Lotus, and Butterfly boxes. His most popular and repeated design is the Maze Burr and its variations. It was originally made in 2006, when it was declared “Puzzle of the Year” by the IPP judging committee. Five batches of this design and its variations have been produced in total, with the latest in 2011 (as of June 2017). His woodshop is currently located at Ironton Studios and Galleries in Denver, Colorado.

Personal life

Sound married his wife Megan in 2013, at which time they both changed their last names to Sound, citing the common phrases “sound of character” and “structurally sound” as reasons for this.

Awards and achievements

Sound received awards in the Nob Yoshigahara Puzzle Design Competition in 2002 for the Block Box (first place and People's Choice Award), in 2003 for the Decorated Box (Honorable Mention), in 2004 for the Dodecahedron Box (Grand Prize and People's Choice Award), and in 2006 for the Maze Burr (Grand Prize and People's Choice Award). In 2009 he received the

Sam Loyd Award Samuel Loyd (January 30, 1841 – April 10, 1911), was an American chess player, chess composer, puzzle author, and recreational mathematics, recreational mathematician. Loyd was born in Philadelphia but raised in New York City. As a chess com ...

for promoting interest in

mechanical puzzles A mechanical puzzle is a puzzle presented as a set of mechanically interlinked pieces in which the solution is to manipulate the whole object or parts of it. While puzzles of this type have been in use by humanity as early as the 3rd century BC ...

from the Association of Game and Puzzle Collectors.Association Awards: Sam Loyd Award
Association for Games & Puzzles International

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sound, Kagen Puzzle designers Living people Colorado College alumni People from Denver Year of birth missing (living people)