fieldsArtificial Memory Trace – Reprint

Part I.
1. Lift for paper 0:51
2. Air (suction) 1:13
3. Ventilation 0:25
4. Printing 26:06
5. Assembling machine I. 9:26
6. Cutting of paper 2:04
7. Photo-machine 1:10

Part II.
8. Assembling machine II. 8:35

Rhythm of a printing press is the rhythm of humankind in the process of extending our ability to communicate and remember. Reprint is a collection of sounds from an offset printing machine and other printing devices such as photographic machines for creating contact films, assembling and cutting machines. They have been recorded by Slavek Kwi (aka Artificial Memory Trace) when he was working as a printer in Belgium. He has had a longstanding fascination with sound environments, developing as he says “electroacoustic sound-paintings” that oscillate between pure sound based works and interdisciplinary works exploring social, spatial, and temporal processes.

For workers it was normal to create music to pass time during work. Machines have their own rhythms and Slavek not only listened to them as to rhythmic instruments but often adapted himself to their rhythms. Just before emigration to Belgium he was working on giant rotation machines which produced unbearable noise and heat. As a consequence he became interested also in the physical impact sound of machines has on the human body.

This work contains only sounds recorded as they were, without further manipulation except for editing.

Reviews, mentions and comments
Acts of Silence
Framework Radio
The Wire: Adventures In Sound And Music @ Resonance.fm
Hisvoice