Radio Without Radio Waves: Utopian Proposals

Public lecture

HearSay17, Kilfinane, Co. Limerick, Ireland. 29 September to 1 October 2017.

Description

What role does radio have in today’s complex world of podcasts, phone apps, and digital broadcasting? Is there still scope for those Utopian ideals that birthed radio in the first place? This talk will examine the history of radio by considering eight transmission technologies, from telegraph to webcast. From this foundation, “radio” will be defined in a novel way, without restriction to any particular technological regime. It will be demonstrated that radio in any form has an important role as an ephemeral and inclusive force, flourishing as “invisible voices in the wind, in thunder, in the dream” (R. Murray Schafer).

This talk will be delivered at HearSay Audio Festival, a three-day gathering of audio adventurers from 27 countries. Included are practitioners in radio, film sound, sound art, theatre, music, and audio fiction.