In Defense of the Poor Sound is a collective mix as the outcome of a one week design course at ENSCI - Les Ateliers in Paris 2026, exploring sound as a political tool. The concept is inspired by Hito Steyerl’s ”In Defense of the Poor Image” which presents the concept of the “Poor image” as a democratization of media by shifting attention away from technical polish toward accessibility, circulation and meaning. This mix argues that the concept is transferable into sound.

Under the guidance of Lena Renz, an audiovisual artist and DJ under the name Ursula Erdmann, the students explored a political or social issue of their choice and personal significance such as technology, identity, memories, subversiveness, ecology, community building.

The individual soundscapes explore the possibilities of Ableton for first time users through political perspective with intention. This mix is an ensemble of the sound exploration of the class.