Scrub, 2020 by Peter Hoffmeister

Scrub, 2020

By Peter Hoffmeister

Scrub (Lewis Latimer House) is a site-responsive audio piece that uses The Star-Spangled Banner as its source. As a sonic structure that encourages patriotic and nationalist sentiment, the lyrics reference the American flag, an emblem meant to condense American-ness into a single abstract image, which further reinforces the symbolism of the song. I disassembled the triumphant presumptions of the anthem into a constellation of glitches and hiccups, achieved by digitally “scrubbing” the official U.S. Army recording of The Star-Spangled Banner. This is my attempt to disrupt the homogeneity and flattening effects of nationalism.

Time & Memory Project