A documentary portrait of the unsung heroines of electronic music. Sisters with Transistors rewrites the history of electronic music by foregrounding the women who used machines and radical experimentation to transform music and sound.
Narrater Laurie Anderson takes us on a journey through the work of pioneers such as Clara Rockmore, Daphne Oram, Bebe Barron, Pauline Oliveros, Delia Derbyshire, Maryanne Amacher, Éliane Radigue, Suzanne Ciani, and Laurie Spiegel - artists who reshaped the way we listen, compose, and think about sound. Both Pauline Oliveros and Maryanne Amacher are major sources of inspiration for associate artist Hildur Guðnadóttir.
By weaving together archival footage, interviews, and evocative, immersive soundscapes, the documentary places women at the center of electronic music history and challenges the notion that it is a “boys’ club.” The result is both a celebration of their creativity and a vibrant reminder of the often-overlooked origins of modern music.
Introduction
The introduction will be given by Katía Truijen, a media researcher, curator, educator, and musician. Her work focuses on bringing people together through practices of listening, archiving, and imagining alternative urban, technological, and ecological futures. Katía is part of Loom, a practice for cultural transformation, and curates context programmes for Rewire Festival and Ultima Festival. She is editor of Further Listening. On Adventurous Music and Sound (2026), and co-editor of Epistemic Imaginaries – Learning as Festivity (2025) and Architecture of Appropriation. On Squatting as Spatial Practice (2019).
