System Failure: A tribute to Ultra-red and militant sound investigation

System Failure explores the work of the sound/art/activist collective Ultra-red that creates different model of engagement between participatory art, organizing and public pedagogy. Through sound and critical listening, Ultra-red's work is found on the intersections of art, critique, politics and grassroots organizing/community making and has been valuable and influential to bridging art and political organizing, de-centring curation practices, as well as the creation and theorization of ambient and listening as a political vehicle tied to local communities, spaces, places, histories and political demands. Their broader activist-artistic praxis includes electronic music, field recordings, interviews, video pieces, participatory sound installations etc Founded in 1994 by two AIDS activists, Ultra-red have over the years expanded to include artists, researchers and organizers from different social movements including the struggles of migration, anti-racism, participatory community development, and the politics of HIV/AIDS.