bitrot

Computers are the perfect external memory – or so one would think. Not exactly, the three computer musicians of the ensemble Hackmeck say. For apart from issues such as technical storage failures, shut-down internet pages or outdated file formats, files must be filtered and filed in order, so as not to drown in masses of data. Often, they are consciously reduced and compressed – for example by streaming services, which make use of neurological research into memory and delete »non-essential« elements of sound. Using programmes written themselves, Hackmeck examines the process of forgetting digital sounds and pictures. How long do these elements remain recognizable? In which combination do they retain their identity longer, in which do they become interchangeable more rapidly or go out of focus, forming new units? What is the sound of a false memory? These intriguing questions are at the heart of the ensemble’s audio-visual live performance. 

​Gefördert vom Ministerium für Kultur und Wissenschaft des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen

Das Ensemble Hackmeck wird gefördert durch den Musikfonds e.V. mit Projektmitteln der Beauftragten der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien.