Activating archives: creating new sonic worlds from preserved sounds and memory
In this talk, artist Mihir Raina (Lacuna) shares his practice of working with sound archives, from large institutional holdings to intimate personal collections. His research asks how these fragile and often overlooked materials can be activated not as static remnants of the past but as living sources of new sonic worlds. Drawing on his Kashmiri heritage, Raina introduces a prototype VST software instrument developed with Thunderboom Records and Aix Design, trained on a rare collection of Kashmiri folk music from the 80’s. Rather than serving as a mere technical tool, the software works as a creative companion, transforming archival recordings into material that can be navigated, deconstructed, and reimagined, generating musical ideas that exceed the boundaries of preservation.The session invites participants to reflect on how archival sound can become a site where memory, technology, and imagination converge.
The workshop has a capacity of 10 people, register via this form.