Voices in the machine

"I loved this field recording so much, which actually made it hard to work with because I didn’t want to change it. So I used it as an inspiration and added new elements to it. I became interested in the people who are working these power looms, who are often invisible in society, and in art. I found a poem by Margaret Theresa Wightman who worked at the end of the 19th century in millinery factories in the UK. She called for respect for these women and their contribution to the country’s wealth and economy. I sang the poem and put it through effects to give it a sound of a machine. The other elements both ground the track in the present moment and give it a sense of timelessness."

Bangalore power looms reimagined by Laura Jacobs.