Radio Astronomy in Weimar, 2008 - 2009
Radio Astronomy in Weimar, 2008 - 2009
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Introduction An installation by r a d i o q u a l i a as part of the Weltall*Erde*Mensch exhibition at ACC Galerie Weimar, GermanyDate: 22 November 2008 - 11 January 2009 Address: Burgplatz 1-2, 99423 Weimar, Germany As part of the exhibition, Weltall*Erde*Mensch, r a d i o q u a l i a are exhibiting the installation, Radio Astronomy. Weltall*Erde*Mensch This contemporary art exhibition explores space in the era of particle accelerators and space tourism. It features the work of over a dozen artists, including William Kentridge, William Lamson, Lucien Pelen, Maria Thereza Alves, Henrike Daum, Renaud Auguste-Dormeuil, Beate Engl, Katrin Gassmann, Anna Gierster, Florian Gwinner, G-Lab, Markus WŸste and r a d i o q u a l i a.The title of the exhibition refers to the book, Weltall Erde Mensch (Universe, Earth, Man). Until 1974 this book was given to all adolescents in the Socialist GDR, as part of the coming-of-age ceremony (Jugendweihe). The book contained general knowledge about the human relationship to the physical and scientific environment, including a detailed section on astronomy. It was written from a Socialist propagandist perspective and tended towards presenting the future as a utopia to be brought about by technological progress. The exhibition is curated by Tely BŸchner and Silke Opitz, and is produced in cooperation with Erfurter Kunstverein e.V. Radio Astronomy Radio Astronomy broadcasts radio waves from space on the internet and inside the gallery. The project is a collaboration between the artists, r a d i o q u a l i a and radio telescopes located throughout the world.Whilst optical astronomers use telescopes to look at the visible light emitted by stars, radio astronomers use radio telescopes, or antennae, to detect radio waves. Whilst stars and planets are not directly audible, as sound waves can not propagate in the vacuum of space, it is possible for radio waves emitted from celestial bodies such as Jupiter and the Sun, to be heard by using radio technology. These waves can be converted into sound using the same kinds of receivers which we use to listen to broadcast radio. By combining radio astronomy with radio engineering, we can hear as well as see the stars, thus greatly expanding our sensory perception of the cosmos. Visitors to the installation may hear the planet Jupiter and its interaction with its moons Io, Europa and Ganymede, radiation from the Sun, radio and plasma waves from Saturn, activity from far-off pulsars, and other astronomical phenomena. The Radio Astronomy sound installation has been exhibited at ISEA in Helsinki; Ars Electronica in Linz; the ICC in Tokyo; the Santa Monica Art Institute in Barcelona as part of Sonar; at Oboro in Montreal, and in many other contexts. It is a collaboration between r a d i o q u a l i a, New Zealand; the Windward Community College Radio Observatory (WCCRO) in Hawaii, USA; NASA's Radio Jove network, USA; the Ventspils International Radio Astronomy Centre (VIRAC), Latvia and RIXC, Latvia, with additional audio contributed by the University of Iowa's Plasma Wave Group, USA and Jodrell Bank's Pulsar Group, UK. About the artists r a d i o q u a l i a is an artist collective formed by New Zealanders 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. Past r a d i o q u a l i a projects include The Frequency Clock (1998 - 2003), Free Radio Linux (2002 - 2004), and Polar Radio (2007).The Venue ACC Galerie WeimarBurgplatz 1+2 99423 Weimar http://www.acc-weimar.de/ |
r a d i o q u a l i a
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f r e q u e n c y s h i f t i n g p a r a d i g m s
i n s t r e a m i n g a u d i o
Email: honor at va.com.au or adam at xs4all.nl
http://www.radioqualia.va.com.au
