Open Wave-Receiver radios - experimental developments by international feminist radio collective Shortwave Collective
During an artist residency at Buinho Creative Hub in Portugal, the Shortwave Collective gathered for a hybrid in-person / remote residency to develop our feminist radio practices.
Initial experiments into the makings of and experience of the 'foxhhole' radio and 'fencetennas' (antennas made from local fences) expanded to crystal radios, found material radios, rock radios, roof radios, hat radios, tent peg radios and many more variations. These experiments, plus conversations and research with the wider collective resulted in our new terming of these devices as 'Open Wave-Receivers'. One Open Wave-Receiver was installed permanently at the Buinho Creative Hub, utilizing the low lying roof tile for the radio coil, a tent peg for diode, the water tap for grounding and the washing line for antenna structure. A mini jack plug hangs down awaiting listeners with portable speakers to plug in. A number of mobile Open Wave-Receivers were made and taken away by each workshop attendee - images and a detailed how-to guide is being published in Make Magazine in early 2022, an audio how-to guide is being broadcast on Radiophrenia in Feb 2022. The Open Wave-Receiver can be made in many ways, of many things, but thrives on found materials and feminist collaborative practice. We understand these devices more as omni directional microphones listening broadly in to the vibrations of the electromagnetic field of air, rather than radio tuners dialing into exact transmissions. Radios, research and experiments were made by in-person Shortwave Collective residents Lisa Hall, Hannah Hemp-Welch and Brigitte Hart, and by remote residents and the wider collective: Alyssa Moxley, Francesca Casauay, Georgia Muenster, Kate Donovan, Maria Popadomanolaki, Sally Applin and Sasha Englemann. Design variations were explored in a public workshop with local residents of Messejana and the Buinho Creative hub team. Shortwave Collective is an international feminist artist group established in May 2020, interested in the creative use of radio. We meet regularly to discuss feminist approaches to amateur radio and the radio spectrum as artistic material, sharing resources, considering DIY approaches and inclusive structures. Following this residency a How-To article is being published in Make Magazine in early 2022 and an audio How-To will feature on Radiophrenia on Feb 20th at 7pm. Read more about the residency here, the workshop here, and the wider project here. |