Hardly anyone knows what Radio Art is and yet radio do exist more than 100 years. Ever since then, writers, composers and artists worldwide have explored the artistic possibilities the radio offers. Nevertheless, their works are often slumbering in inaccessible public archives. That’s why the Chair of Experimental Radio at Bauhaus-University Weimar has made it its mission since 2008 to open these archives and to make this heritage known to a wider audience.
In the touring exhibition Radiophonic Spaces current and historical positions spanning 100 years of international Radio Art could be heard and explored. Using headphones and specially programed smartphones, visitors moved through the curated collection choosing individual works from over 200 international sound exhibits. In the space - designed by sound artist and architect Cevdet Erek and implemented by MESO Digital Interiors - visitors immersed themselves in a listening experience. Afterward they could research the acoustic experience in an extensive audio-visual interface, the Mindmap on Radio Art, dedicated to the historical development of Radio Art. Radiophonic Spaces could be experienced in Basel (Museum Tinguely), in Berlin (Haus der Kulturen der Welt) and in Weimar (100 years of Bauhaus) between 2018 and 2019, by more than 7000 visitors. The digital reference work as result of a 4 years long academic research project is online since 2020 under www.radiophonic.space.
Radiophonic Spaces received the 2019 Heritage in Motion Award, which recognizes the best multimedia achievements and products that creatively and innovatively bring Europe’s cultural and natural heritage closer to the public. Credits under: www.radiophonic.space / partners and teams.