Sara Pinheiro’s composition, curated by Jonáš Kucharský of Prague’s Národní filmový archive, explores Barrandov Studios’ long considered lost Foley archive. Established in the late 1950s, the archive had a major influence on the sonic landscape of Czech cinema into the 1990s. Pinheiro’s piece presents digitized sounds from tapes recently found in the archive, offering a glimpse into this vast sonic treasure. Using the sounds acousmatically, Pinheiro investigates how we perceive mediated sounds when taken out of their original context and explores sound’s translation between cultures. The work raises questions about the boundaries between sound and music, particularly in the realm of Foley and sound effects. It is also a contribution to debates around the preservation of transient actions and reflects on the epistemology of sound in the age of recorded media. By presenting the heterogeneous contents of the Foley archive, the composition attempts to answer the question: What does Czech cinema sound like? This work-in-progress offers a unique perspective on Czech film history, sound preservation, and the nature of mediated sound in audiovisual art.

Archival Assembly #3: The Politics of Listening to the Moving Image

The third edition of the biennial festival turns its focus to the importance of sound and language within the archival practices of international film history, organized by Arsenal – Institut für Film und Videokunst. The festival venues this year are silent green, Kino Arsenal, SINEMA TRANSTOPIA and migas where a sonic daytime program is presented every day between 12:00 and 18:00. Come any time to enter the two-hour loops.