The Foundry from the series Form and Control

The Foundry is the third instalment in the  Form and Control series. This time Goldbach  focuses on the concept of memory in the digitised  world. The film was recorded at Global-  Foundries Inc. in Dresden, one of the biggest  computer chip factories in the world. Devoid  of any signs of human presence, images of  industrial architecture are commented by  Marvin, the paranoid android from Douglas  Adams’ novel The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the  Galaxy, who suffers from depression because  he has to remember all human memories.  To project the text, the artist uses the spritz  technology (spritzinc.com), which is superefficient  but completely heartless, emphasising  the android-like character of the utterances.  By juxtaposing comments of the desperate  robot with the “soullessness” of the factory  landscape, Goldbach raises issues such as the  development of artificial intelligence or the  immortality of digital information.  The term “foundry” refers to a company  operating in the field of microelectronics,  which in its plant produces computer chips  for other semiconductor companies. Originally,  companies producing semiconductor  chips (known as “integrated devices manufacturers”)  were responsible for both design  and manufacturing. Due to the constantly  increasing technical requirements concerning  production, the construction of highlyspecialised  manufacturing plants has become  extremely capital-intensive and just a handful  of companies can afford the cost. The foundry  business model enables companies to develop  and sell specialist circuits at competitive  prices without the need to incur the costs connected  with owning a factory. The production  of integrated circuits is usually based on  standard technologies developed by foundries or their technological partners and takes place  in already existing factories.