Rebecca Goldberg - The Arb

The Arb is a year-long field recording and printmaking project created at Nichols Arboretum at the University of Michigan.

Each season, Goldberg placed nearby organic materials on cyanotype paper for a fifteen-minute exposure while recording from ground level, capturing the ambient soundscape as the print developed. Once the exposure was complete, she washed the cyanotype in the waters of the Huron River, merging the print with its environment.

By repeating this process every three months, over the course of a year, Goldberg sought to trace the Arboretum’s evolving character. Through changes in light, texture, and tone, and its shifting sonic atmospheres, The Arb represents a dialogue between natural rhythms and artistic intervention, offering a layered portrait of place through time.

Rebecca Goldberg is a producer, DJ and designer from Detroit. Since her debut EP, 313 Acid Queen, she has been affiliated with the multidisciplinary arts collective, Detroit Underground.

She has released music and multimedia projects spanning from acid techno to experimental electronic music. Carrying with her the tradition of Detroit Techno, Goldberg tours internationally as a DJ and live performer. She has been featured at notable events from Detroit’s seminal Movement Festival to the world-renowned Berghain in Berlin.

Goldberg has written original scores for classic films, “Le Voyage Dans La Lune” and “Gojira,” which included live performances at Silencio, David Lynch’s members-only club in Paris, and Armageddon Beachparty in Detroit. Goldberg often incorporates original field recordings into her work. In 2022, the Radiophonic Institute released a selection of her recordings made throughout her native Michigan for the Radiophonic Travel Agency project.