Racheal Crowther's Berlin Exhibition Exposes Labor's Invisible Soundscape

Racheal Crowther's solo exhibition 'Gebrauchsmusik' at Noah Klink in Berlin confronts the hidden labor sustaining modern systems. Running from 24 January to 1 March 2025, the show features works that acoustically capture overlooked work activities. In one installation, a Whistler TRX-2 radio scanner broadcasts live voices of security guards, taxi drivers, couriers, and construction workers intercepted by a rooftop antenna. Two CCTV cameras monitor this antenna, creating unpredictable soundscapes. Another piece, 'Pipedream®', presents a laser-cut metal medical cross logo with typography appropriated from a sex-shop nurse costume, highlighting the contrast between fetishized imagery and harsh nursing realities. The Dublin-born artist, a former care worker, explores how corporate aesthetics mask systematic neglect. The exhibition title references 'gebrauchsmusik', a utilitarian music genre critiqued by Theodor Adorno but valued by musicologist Heinrich Besseler for bringing people together. Crowther's work suggests contemporary Berlin's background rumble includes strikes over unfair labor conditions and rising racist slogans. The show questions whether nurses, clerks, and even artists belong to neglected practitioner groups, noting many artists work day jobs in healthcare. All elements in the exhibition treat labor as a fetishized commodity, pulling external realities into the gallery space.