SOUND INSTALLATION
A multi-layered approach was adopted in producing a sound installation consisting of five individual sound pieces presented in an eight-speaker circle, drawing inspiration directly from the Tape Letters archive. Co-produced with the sound artist Daniele Matta, each piece demonstrated a contrasting approach to sonification and spatialisation, incorporating comparative field recordings of street markets, various domestic settings, and personal testimonies captured in Pakistan and England.
The first piece, “I Brought Them Back”, features an interview with Mohammed Zareen and is based on an interview clip in Pothwari in which Zareen reveals his listening and recording behaviours in response to the cassettes he received from his family in Pakistan. His son, Naazam Zareen, translates his father’s voice into English. This piece offers an insightful look into the personal relationship between Zareen and his family and the role of cassette tapes in their communications.
The second piece, “Something Else Happened”, is based around audio derived from a cassette tape sent between two sisters with divergent migration experiences. Originally both from Pakistan, Zareena Darr emigrated to Canada, and Halima Jabeen emigrated to England. This piece offers a glimpse into the intimate conversations between these two sisters and the difficulties they experienced after their respective migrations.
The third piece, “Markets are Markets”, involves comparative field recordings made in open-air markets both in Pakistan and England. The sounds of bartering, haggling, and the general bustle of the markets respectively provide a soundscape that brings to life the experience of shopping in these environments.
The fourth piece, “Let Me Listen”, centres around the profoundly intimate audio messages sent between two people engaged to be married. This piece offers a poignant look into the delicate and tender moments shared between two people in love and their messages to each other captured on cassette tapes.
The fifth piece, “The Spaces Between”, is a spatial composition incorporating the glitches, recording mistakes, clunks, and clicks typically found on tapes, and centres around the analogue physicality of the cassette tape system itself. This piece explores the imperfections of the cassette tape medium and highlights the importance of the spaces between the recorded moments.
THE TAPE LETTERS OUTPUTS:
● Apps
● Archive
● Digital Exhibition
● Learning Resources
● Photo Series
● Physical Exhibitions
● Podcast
● Poetry Booklet
● Project Booklet
● Radio Series
● Sound Installation
● Talks & Events
● Videos
A multi-layered approach was adopted in producing a sound installation consisting of five individual sound pieces presented in an eight-speaker circle, drawing inspiration directly from the Tape Letters archive. Co-produced with the sound artist Daniele Matta, each piece demonstrated a contrasting approach to sonification and spatialisation, incorporating comparative field recordings of street markets, various domestic settings, and personal testimonies captured in Pakistan and England.
The first piece, “I Brought Them Back”, features an interview with Mohammed Zareen and is based on an interview clip in Pothwari in which Zareen reveals his listening and recording behaviours in response to the cassettes he received from his family in Pakistan. His son, Naazam Zareen, translates his father’s voice into English. This piece offers an insightful look into the personal relationship between Zareen and his family and the role of cassette tapes in their communications.
The second piece, “Something Else Happened”, is based around audio derived from a cassette tape sent between two sisters with divergent migration experiences. Originally both from Pakistan, Zareena Darr emigrated to Canada, and Halima Jabeen emigrated to England. This piece offers a glimpse into the intimate conversations between these two sisters and the difficulties they experienced after their respective migrations.
The third piece, “Markets are Markets”, involves comparative field recordings made in open-air markets both in Pakistan and England. The sounds of bartering, haggling, and the general bustle of the markets respectively provide a soundscape that brings to life the experience of shopping in these environments.
The fourth piece, “Let Me Listen”, centres around the profoundly intimate audio messages sent between two people engaged to be married. This piece offers a poignant look into the delicate and tender moments shared between two people in love and their messages to each other captured on cassette tapes.
The fifth piece, “The Spaces Between”, is a spatial composition incorporating the glitches, recording mistakes, clunks, and clicks typically found on tapes, and centres around the analogue physicality of the cassette tape system itself. This piece explores the imperfections of the cassette tape medium and highlights the importance of the spaces between the recorded moments.