South Asia PhoNographic Mornings #10 - François Martig "We Make Value"

Stéphane Marin presents a weekly series of fifteen short soundscapes recorded in the mornings at various locations throughout South Asia part of 'Each Morning of the World', which invites sound artists, composers and recordists globally to share their own specific point of listening, either through a raw field recording or original composition.

About 60 million people work to make our clothes. 70% are in Asia, 80% are women who often work in unworthy conditions. Human rights violations are accumulating: poverty wages, moral and sexual harassment, trade union repression, child labor, unsustainable work schedules, repeated accidents, exposure to toxic substances, pollution.
The “Rethink your clothes” campaign by Caritas Luxembourg/ Fairtrade Lëtzebuerg asbl is part of this approach to increase corporate and customer responsibility, given the social and environmental impacts of the garment sector around the world.

Rethink your Clothes is also a short docu-fiction made by Charlotte Bruneau (LU) and produced by Caritas Luxembourg in Dhaka city, Bangladesh, in 2018. During the shooting, and as sound operator, I recorded few field recordings in a garment factory and we make also interviews with people working in that insane industry model.

My soundscape contribution gives an idea of how is the sound atmosphere inside garment factories and how terribles conditions become «  almost  » normal for workers.
Regarding the «  Each Morning of the World  » usual subject I decided to forget the time aspect (the morning) because there is no day, there is no night within slavery.

Recorded somewhere in Dhaka City, Bangladesh, in september 2018 and composed in april 2019.

Photo credit © Carole Reckinger, Caritas Luxembourg

François Martig’s work uses a wide range of media, from sculptural and sound installations to radio documentaries and photography, in order to react on the specific social and geographical context in which it is shown. In addition to his visual work, he produces live sound and music performances as well as soundtracks combining soundscapes, field recordings, electro-acoustic and noise music. He's also sound operator for documentary movies.