kassettens

Kassettens is a fictional term used in contemporary art and media discussions to denote an interdisciplinary project or collective focused on analog cassette tapes. The name is a stylized reference to the German word Kassette, evoking themes of archival practice, nostalgia, and tactile media.

Concept and scope

In this imagined or hypothetical context, Kassettens describes a network of artists, archivists, and performers who explore the cultural significance of cassette culture. Works attributed to the Kassettens concept typically involve gathering found tapes, creating annotations, and reassembling material into new artistic forms. Projects may combine sound releases on cassette with digital mediations, installations, and archival exhibitions.

Form and media

Practices associated with Kassettens emphasize materiality and process. Outputs can include limited-run cassette releases, artist-dubbed copies, field recordings, and mixed-media installations. Public engagements such as listening sessions and sound walks are common, often highlighting the physical experience of tape spooling, magnetic decay, and the act of playback.

Themes

Themes frequently explored under the Kassettens umbrella include memory and obsolescence, media archaeology, DIY culture, preservation challenges, and the dissolution of authorial control through remix and archiving.

Reception and usage

As a fictional construct, Kassettens is used in critical writing and narrative contexts to illustrate how analog media endure in contemporary culture and how communities form around preserved artifacts and sound economies.

See also: cassette culture, tape art, media archaeology.