Katrin Abromeit & Johann Hinterstoisser

STABLE, COMPROMISED, UNSTABLE – DIVERSITY OF AUDIO CARRIERS AND THEIR CONDITIONS IN THE SONIME PROJECT

The audio media collected and examined in the project ‘Sonic Memories. Audio Letters in Times of Migration and Mobility’ (SONIME) provide a cross-section of the history of direct-recording audio media between 1890 and 1980. Technical developments are reflected in a variety of manufacturers, products and material combinations. In addition to wax cylinders, Audio tapes and cassettes, this diversity is particularly evident in direct-cut discs.

The conditions of the examined direct-cut formats vary considerably. The reasons for this can be divided into factors inherent to the materials and to external influences. Especially the interaction of different materials in the same object is crucial for ongoing Degradation mechanisms, which can be observed particularly with lacquer layers on different substrates. Environmental factors also have a significant influence on ageing behaviour as well as light and manual handling.

Preventive conservation measures are undertaken throughout the project to provide the best possible storage environment for the audio media. Parallel documentation of the current preservation condition is a focus of the SONIME project. In addition to photographing the objects, analysing the materials using ATR-FTIR and recording accompanying information, linking this information and providing it for scholarly use is of central importance. As the available database systems were unable to meet audio media, Research and conservation requirements, an RDF-based (Resource Description Framework), object-oriented database platform was fitted to the project needs. That way, the project links the object information with the recordings, their actors and the conservation information.

The project is a cooperation between the Phonogrammarchiv of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW), the University of Applied Arts Vienna and the archive Partner Österreichische Mediathek.

Katrin Abromeit is a conservator for audio media. She graduated from the University of Applied Sciences in Berlin (HTW). Her bachelor’s thesis focused on mould-covered Cellulose acetate audio tapes; her master’s thesis examined the stickiness of audio tapes with a polyester-polyurethane coating.
Since 2020, Katrin has been working on the conservation and digitisation of audio media at the Phonogrammarchiv Wien. She gained experience at the Rathgen Research Laboratory in Berlin, the ZKM Center for Art and Media in Karlsruhe, the Filmmuseum Potsdam, and as a freelance conservator-restorer. The project ‘Sonic Memories. Audio Letters in Times of Migration and Mobility’ (SONIME) that she is implementing in collaboration with the historian Eva Kapeller-Hallama, focuses
on collecting, documenting, and preserving audio letters from 1890 to 1980. It will run through April 2026.

Johann Hinterstoisser is a student of conservation and restoration with a focus on wooden objects at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. Since 2022, he is a member of staff at Phonogrammarchiv Wien responsible for material analyses, object photography and documentation in the project ‘Sonic Memories. Audio Letters in Times of Migration and Mobility’ (SONIME). In 2021, he completed the evening college at HBLVA Rosensteingasse for chemical industry with a focus on environmental analysis and environmental protection management.
Professional stations have been at Additives for Paper Industry GmbH, Vienna Museum of Science and Technology, University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences Vienna, Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, as well as with self-employed restorers.