[node-l] polar radio - talk + performance - london - 25 september

Tue Sep 16 15:09:38 CEST 2008

Hi all,

If you happen to be in London next week, come 
along to the talk and performance that r a d i o 
q u a l i a are doing on Thursday 25 September.

We'd love to see you.

& sincere apologies for cross-posting.

Best,

Honor Harger & Adam Hyde

..........................................................
P  O L A R   R A D I O
..........................................................

A talk & performance by r a d i o q u a l i a
London, UK
1900, 25 September

Date:		Thursday 25 September
Time:		1930
Format:		Talk / Live music
Cost:		Free
Address:		The People Speak HQ, 17-25 Cremer St, London, E2 8HD

A talk and sound performance presenting Polar 
Radio - Antarctica's first artist-run FM radio 
station.

..........................................................

ABOUT POLAR RADIO

In 2007, Adam Hyde from r a d i o q u a l i a 
voyaged to Antarctica to help establish the first 
phase of Polar Radio - a research project which 
tests the feasibility of establishing community 
radio stations in the two Polar Regions - 
Antarctica and the Arctic Circle.  

He was part of the first Interpolar Transnational 
Art Science Consortium (I-TASC) reconnaissance 
expedition to Antarctica, and was a guest of the 
South African Antarctic Programme, based in the 
Dronning Maud Land sector of Antarctica, at the 
base, SANAE IV. (72ƒ 03' S 02ƒ 47' W)

Adam and the I-TASC crew created a mid-range FM 
radio station. This involved installing and 
configuring FM  transmitters and receivers, 
designing and erecting antennae in the Antarctic 
ice.  The first prototype radio station began FM 
broadcasts on 29 December 2006.

The broadcasts consisted of radio art developed 
by r a d i o q u a l i a and hundreds of hours of 
music, radio art, sound art, DJ-sets, 
documentaries and podcasts produced by musicians, 
documentary makers, podcasters and DJs from 
around the world, collected via a public call for 
content.

Researchers and scientists at SANAE IV were 
trained in the skills necessary to make radio 
shows for their station, and now run the station 
themselves, using audio provided by people from 
around the world. They call their Polar Radio 
station, "Radio SANAE",

..........................................................

THE EVENT

This informal event will consist of a 
presentation about Polar Radio and a discussion 
about working in Antarctica, followed by a sound 
performance by r a d i o q u a l i a.

The talk will give an overview of the 
establishment of Radio SANAE, the first node of 
Polar Radio, in Antarctica, and will cover such 
salient points as:

* the role of radio in Antarctica
* how to build your own antenna from found objects
* what the net looks like over a 1k connection shared between 70 scientists
* can artists really teach scientists anything?
* common symptoms of contextual hyper neurosis

The sound performance will be comprised of 
elemental field recordings made on the ice, and 
VLF radio recordings made of the Antarctic 
ionosphere.

Drinks will be provided.

The event and the research phase of Polar Radio 
is supported by Arts Council England

..........................................................

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

r a d i o q u a l i a is an artist collective 
formed by Adam Hyde and Honor Harger, which 
creates radio and sound art.  Their work has been 
exhibited at the ICC in Tokyo, New Museum of 
Contemporary Art in New York; Gallery 9, Walker 
Art Center in USA; Sonar in Barcelona; Ars 
Electronica in Austria; Artspace in New Zealand, 
among other places. r a d i o q u a l i a 
projects include Radio Astronomy 
<http://www.radio-astronomy.net> (2004 - now), 
The Frequency Clock (1998 - 2003) and Free Radio 
Linux (2002 - 2004).

In addition to r a d i o q u a l i a, Adam Hyde 
manages FLOSS Manuals 
<http://www.flossmanauls.net/>. He has been 
involved in free technology and art for 10 years, 
mainly within the broadcast realm but lately 
Adam's work is centered in community building and 
publishing.  Recent artistic projects include the 
Geekosystem  - recycling technojunk into art 
<http://www.geekosystem.org>, Kumara - free media 
email blogging <http://www.xs4all.nl/~adam>, and 
the Paper Cup Telephone Network 
<http://www.papercuptelephone.org>. Recent 
non-art projects include managing the production 
of the OLPC and Sugar manuals 
<http://www.flossmanauls.net/about>.

Honor Harger also works as a curator and 
organiser.  From November 2004 - July 2008, she 
was director of the AV Festival 
<http://www.avfestival.co.uk> in Newcastle, 
Gateshead, Sunderland and Middlesbrough in the 
UK.  In 2008, she curated the third edition of 
the festival on the topic of broadcasting.  She 
is also a PhD researcher at Z-Node a facility ran 
by the Faculty of Technology, University of 
Plymouth, and the Zürich University of the Arts, 
(ZHDK) in Switzerland.  Her research aims to 
combine traditional and practice based research 
methods to create a sonic understanding of 
astronomical space, placing emphasis on the way 
that radio can be used to make space audible.

..........................................................

CONTEXT

I-TASC (Interpolar Transnational Art Science 
Constellation) is an official project of the 
International Polar Year 2007-2008. I-TASC is a 
decentralized network of individuals and 
organisations working collaboratively in the 
fields of art, engineering, science and 
technology on interdisciplinary development and 
tactical deployment of renewable energy, waste 
recycling systems, sustainable architecture and 
open-format, open-source media. I-TASC is a 
lichen-like structure sharing and integrating 
local knowledge, resources and skills across six 
continents in order to symbiotically engage with 
common issues concerning the air, ocean, earth 
and space.

I-TASC website: http://www.i-tasc.org/

SANAP website: http://www.sanap.org.za/

Map showing Antarctic bases, including SANAE 
where the I-TASC crew visited in 2007.: 
http://www.gdargaud.net/Antarctica/InfoAntarctica.html

..........................................................

FURTHER INFORMATION

Getting there: The People Speak HQ
17-25 Cremer St, London, E2 8HD
http://www.theps.net/

Directions: Cremer St is just under the bridge 
half way between Hackney Road and Kingsland Road,
Public transport options: Shoreditch Tube station 
is sometimes open, and is close, alternatively, 
Old St, or Liverpool St are quite near. The TFL 
website <http://www.tfl.gov.uk/> should give you 
some useful directions.

Map: 
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=+E2+8HD&ie=UTF8&ll=51.530773,-0.076153&spn=0.006461,0.015836&z=16&iwloc=addr

For data on Polar Radio, contact: r a d i o q u a l i a
Email: adam at flossmanuals.net   or   honor at va.com.au
Phone: +44 7765834272
http://www.radioqualia.net

For data on I-TASC, contact: Thomas Mulcaire or Marko Peljhan
Email: tm at interpolar.org   or     mx at interpolar.org
http://www.i-tasc.org/

r a d i o q u a l i a  would like to thank Arts 
Council England, SANAP, I-TASC, The People Speak 
and MediaShed.