Tania Candiani

Comunidad Hi-Fi (Hi-Fi Community) has two pieces “La Consola” and “La Portátil”. La Consola (The Console) consists of two turntables, with a bulb amplifier, and a two-ways speakers: speakers with full-range and tweeters. La Portable (The Portable) is a portable turntable, with  a transistor amplifier, and an analog synthesizer; with two full-range speakers. Both devices reproduce a composition by Pepe Mogt that overviews the history of synthesizers and analog drum machines.

This project is inspired by communities of enthusiasts who used to meet to assemble manual-guided Hi-Fi sound systems. High fidelity (often abbreviated in English as hi-fi) is a quality standard that indicates the sound reproduction is faithful to the original, and reduces noise and distortion to the minimum. This term became popular during the 1950s, as it was used by audio equipment manufacturers as part of their marketing strategy. This change in technology brought new devices of modular nature to the center of different domestic dynamics and even to architecture.

This project includes a magazine with information on high fidelity communities, the ethics behind the DIY method and manuals with instructions to replicate “La Consola” and “La Portátil”. Comunidad Hi-Fi is an online publication designed for music lovers and equipment fans,  to promote the do-it-yourself (DIY) hobby. This manual was compiled to meet the needs of those interested in building a modern and authentic high definition system.

The culture “Do it yourself” can be summarized in a basic and fundamental principle: share knowledge freely without patents or registrations.

Comunidad Hi-Fi explores the concept of the device within its cultural dimensions, where the technical is an essential component, and reviews the importance of socializing knowledge to produce home furnishings and reevaluate crafts. This project invites people to create objects for musical self-consumption that meet Hi-Fi quality standards without the intervention of corporate guidelines.