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Michael McDermott EMBRACED LOOP SYRIAN CASSETTE A
RCHIVES is the beautiful name given to the AIDS Memorial sculpture which was unveiled in the Phoenix Park last month. Designed by artists Anaisa Franco and Michael R. DiCarlo, it was selected for having “universal appeal and for its creative use of the Red Ribbon associated with HIV/AIDS awareness.” Speaking at its unveiling Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said, “This deeply moving memorial, ‘Embraced Loop’, will be situated here permanently in the People’s Gardens to show the respect of our nation, that we share in the sorrow of those lost or suffering, and to remember and celebrate the lives of those we have lost. It also reminds us that we still need to act, and the struggle is not over.” Whilst browsing through Nobody (Magnified, pg 58), we happened upon The Syrian Cassette Archive, a project undertaken by Mark Gergis. He started digging out these tapes in stores in San Francisco and Detroit. “Raw and prismatic, the tapes not only entranced Mark but also brought him closer to his own heritage as an Iraqi-American. He soon became fixated on the sounds and culture of the region. Eventually, he boarded a plane to Syria and fell in love - with the country, yes, but also the abundance of tapes he found at music shops, corner kiosks, even bus stops.” “There was an ephemeral nature to the tapes,” says Mark. “These were pulp recordings, here to serve to a purpose in a certain point in time. They didn’t have staying power.” As Mark watched Syria ‘descend into madness’, he realised his collection of 500 cassettes could in their own small way help preserve and share the sounds of that era. syriancassettearchives.org HAPPY CHRISTMAS + BEST WISHES FOR 2024 FROM THE GOO DUBLIN’S FREE MUSIC SCENE MAGAZINE - IN PRINT DEC-JAN ISSUE OUT NOW! PICK IT UP IN MUSIC VENUES, BARS, CAFES, RECORD STORES AND MORE - HOME DELIVERY SERVICE COMING IN 2024. G W t D