Pamela Z: Arbeitsklang / Worksound @ Audium

Arbeitsklang / Worksound uses the rhythms of labor and the musicality of the human voice to explore the sounds of work. 

Listeners will be immersed in a tapestry of sound from Berlin workspaces- from the rhythmic strike of knives on cutting boards and the mechanical whir of sewing machines, to the industrial thrum of factory floors and Gutenberg printing presses.

The piece also features recorded interviews with working people in a wide range of fields- from the arts & food to industrial factory work. Field recordings and interview fragments are layered over processed vocals and instrumentation, creating a music of voices and noises.

Pamela Z will perform her work each night, using custom MIDI controllers that allow her to manipulate sound live, in real-time. The show extends beyond the speaker space, spilling out into the lobby with projections and sounds of industrial machinery that surround the audience from the moment they enter the building.

Pamela Z is a composer/performer and media artist making works for voice, electronics, samples, gesture activated MIDI controllers, and video. She has toured throughout the US, Europe, and Japan. Her work has been presented at venues and exhibitions including Bang on a Can (NY), the Japan Interlink Festival, Other Minds (SF), MoMA (NY), the Venice Biennale, and Dakar Biennale. She has composed scores for dance, film, and chamber ensembles (including Kronos Quartet and Eighth Blackbird). Her awards include the Rome Prize, Berlin Prize, Foundation for Contemporary Arts, MIT McDermott Award, the Guggenheim, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters. 

Pamela Z is part of Audium’s 2025-26 Sound Residency. Learn more here.

This project is made possible in part through the generous support of the San Francisco Arts Commission.