Archives of Sound is an interactive audio installation created by art collective, Kinokophone.  It is inspired by by The New York Public LIbrary for the Performing Arts's audio colelctions and features prominently unique recordings from The Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound, which is among the largest archives of its kind.  The installation experiments with new ways of presenting archival audio collections, explores sound technology's role in shaping experiences of the past and present and makes the behind-the-scenes world of the audio archives audible.  Listeners will discover the archival practices that bring the audio archive to life and explore aspects of the collection they may otherwise never see nor hear.

Kinokophone seeks to bring attention to the socio-historic construction of public archives and how they are created, organized, and presented.  How does the organization, presentation, and preservation of archival and library materials help shape the way people understand and encounter the world?  What are the issues archivists, librarians, curators, and catalogers must consider when working with audio collections?  How do these choices affect listeners, researchers, and communities?  The archive can be reimagined and re-examined through sound.  Kinokophone seeks to inspire listeners to consider their role in shaping it.