"any organisation of sounds is then a tool for the creation or consolidation of a community..."
-Jacques Attali in Noise: the Political Economy of Music
threads/ is a tool for the growing collection of women's stories; talking about their use of the computer, and feelings towards it.
threads/ recontextualises the history of technoculture by emphasizing womens' role in its development: the relationship between weaving (the first automated machine), typing (the language of shorthand), and coding. it is also an expanding database of women's stories concerning their relationship to technology.
the installation combines an antiquated sewing machine table, its original pedal, and a keyboard in place of the sewing machine. each letter on the keyboard is mapped to audio samples of weaving and sewing machines, interwoven with voices of women.
Camera work:
Alexis Bellavance
Modified sewing machine pedal:
Schrikdraad Elektronisch Ontwerp
Keygrab application:
Alexandre Quessy
Technical support:
Sofian Audry
Izaak Branderhorst
StudioXX team
Sound editing:
Frédéric Laurier
Sewing machine sounds by Sewteeth:
Anita Hofer
Cloed Baumgartner
Jogi Hofmüller
Reni Hofmüller
& Freesound
Special thanks to all the women who told their stories.
Threads/ is co-produced by StudioXX and supported by the Canada Council for the Arts