Radio Radio is a twenty-four hour broadcast
split across 14 days over one month. The project launches on the 10th of October
2003 at the International 3 gallery, Manchester, before travelling to the Trade
Apartment, London in January 2004. Further broadcast from galleries in Geneva
and Berlin are currently in the planning stages.
Artists, writers, musicians and broadcasters have collaborated to make 'programmes'
- the majority of submissions correspond loosely to existing or generic radio
show formats (e.g. Desert Island Discs, The Evening Session, Thought For The
Day, a breakfast show, a radio drama, etc.). The project features a wide variety
of submissions from the UK, Europe and the US (see RADIO RADIO TIMES for details.).
The gallery will house a makeshift studio booth; a producer will co-ordinate
the output which will be relayed in the gallery.
Recording the programmes
As an integral part of the project, several of the recordings of the programmes
have been staged as events some time in advance of the main broadcast. The disparity
between the 'real' event and the edited radio version sets the context for the
project, which aims to address in some way the peculiar specificity of the medium
of radio.
The first was held at the London Institute space in Millbank, London. Granada
TV is responsible for 'Stars In Their Eyes' - it's a popular Saturday night
show in the UK which features impersonators performing as famous pop vocalists.
Via the programme's production company, it was possible to contact three former
contestants - all appeared as David Bowie. These performers collaborated with
artist / musicians to rework their perfected cover version impersonations of
'China Girl', 'Ashes To Ashes' and 'Heroes' for the event. The Ken Ardley Playboys
(fronted by Bob and Roberta Smith), Die Kunst (Martin Vincent, David Mackintosh
and Richard Hylton) and Paul Rooney also chose other Bowie tracks, and some
of their own material to record as new arrangements in front of an invited audience.
The necessary soundchecks, false starts and run-throughs were also recorded
as a potential part of the future broadcast. The set up at the venue was geared
to focus attention on the fact of the recording - a conspicuous team of sound
engineers lead by a producer coordinated a BBC-style event, surrounded by a
vast amount of technical equipment (not necessarily all in operation - microphones,
leads, amps, PA, etc.).
The second was an event featurred John Hegley as he lead John Strutton's 'Band
Of Nod' (around forty people playing guitar and kazoo simultaneously) in a selection
of his poetry and favourite songs.
Other proposals were given free access to a fully-equipped twelve track recording
studio, with technical support from a qualified sound engineer. Others required
little more than a microphone and a tape recorder. The brief was flexible enough
to incorporate a variety of approaches, and was left deliberately open to allow
the room for participants to develop varied projects
Broadcast and Publication
" A website archiving all 24 hours of material will be available to cooincide
with the International 3 opening on October 10th 2003 at www.radioradio.org.uk.
" A double CD of selected highlights will be launched on the 8th of November,
also at the Manchester gallery during the scheduled programme of live events
(see Radio Radio Times for details).
Radio Radio is supported by the Arts Council
of England.