Friday, September 3, 2010

The Boombox Project

The Boombox Project: The Machines, the Music, and the Urban Underground was released this summer, and I have received my signed copy. In it, photographer & author Lyle Owerko, has captured an amazing selection of boomboxes, and included a short quote from me! :) 

 


Lyle also appears in this NPR video.

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Foreign Voices, Common Stories at the 2010 cultural olympiad


CODE Live Opening Celebration – February 4, 2010

The opening of the CODE Live Exhibition and over 40 installations on February 4th 2010 at Emily Carr University on Granville Island and the Centre for Digital Media (Great Northen Way Campus).

Analogue Nostalgia is a proud participant in the 2010 Cultural Olympiad and will be presenting its new installation Foreign Voices, Common Stories at Code 1.

Where: 577 Great Northern Way, Vancouver

When: Sunday through Wednesday 10:00 am to 8:00 pm.; Thursday, Friday, Saturday, 10:00 am to 6:00 pm.

Project description: Walls of 1980s analog boom boxes, commonly known as ghetto blasters, create an immediate nostalgia as the viewer enters the installation space. Each tape deck is equipped with motion detectors to react to the presence of visitors. A myriad of stories from around the world revealing why ghetto blasters are significant cultural icons erupt from the boom boxes, using MP3 players as the source, the boom boxes as the amplification and speaker system for the messages. The ubiquitous use of such decks, which were marketed globally, although different in design, produced a sameness in cultures often called globalization, but as one listens to the radios, differences in the stories and experiences begin to register. The recordings are in several different languages as well as English, but there is also a set of recordings in foreign versions of English as a commentary on the fact that Pidgen English will soon be one of the most spoken languages in the world. Being able to tape one’s own music and share it easily and portably was an authentic way to share tastes and cultural differences in a democratic distribution. Cultural loss, cultural gain and the cultural mosaic are the subjects of this installation.
In an interview on getgrounded.tv at the midforms film festival last year, James discusses the origins of his obsession with tapedecks. Pick up the video at the 4:00 minute mark for the interview.
http://getgrounded.tv gets down with Longwalkshortdock - James Phillips - Tom Waits and Kool Keith



Friday, May 22, 2009



Pump Up The Dial: Photographic Daps for the Iconic 80s Boombox

Boomboxes. Synonymous with hip-hop. Synonymous with loud. Its standing in the cultural zeitgeist has faded over the years, but their past glories and appetite for D batteries will always be loved and adored by me. More »

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Narrative Mosaic

photo credit: Hamish Hamilton


This is a ten minute audio montage that I have gathered from Boombox collectors from around the world. It is part of an ongoing project to have a multilingual component added to this piece.


Audio track for Narrative Mosaic