Cleaning Women

Cleaning Women consists of three cleaning robots (CW01, CW03 and CW04). Besides their unique music, Cleaning Women is known for their alternative ways in choosing their instruments. The origin of their acoustic sounds can be traced to self-made and self-customized instruments, which are crafted from mangled household items or material salvaged from trash bins. But what makes it special is the way they sound. Even though the starting point for creating the sounds is highly avant-gardish and experimental, the end result is jaw-dropping combination of skilled musicianship, original soundscapes and easily accessible, in many cases danceable music; a combination of cinematic sci-fi western and sparkling trash can disco.

During their over 25 years of existence (founded in 1996!), the group has played over 600 concerts in 25 countries in 3 continents, recorded 5 albums, and composed and performed umpteen live soundtracks for silent film classics, such as My Grandmother, Metropolis or Aelita - Queen of Mars. Cleaning Women has also composed soundtracks for contemporary films, such as Alice Rohrwacher's Le Pupille (The Pupils) in 2023, which was nominated for an academy award. Their 2019 album Intersubjectivity was mixed by Alexander Hacke (ex-Einstürzende Neubauten). The group has also participated in various art exhibitions with their audio-visual installation and kinetic sculpture "Q4 - The last quarter year".