Hello All!


It is me the antipodean euro-traveller, I have left Berlin (I am totally in
love with Berlin now, thanks to my most amzing hosts Ulrich and Martin and
the convex crew) and have arrived in Vienna.

Net.radio days was a most amazing experience, I have learnt so much and
meet so many good people that I wish the conference was 5 months not just 5
days, still I feel lucky to have been part of it. Many many thanks to all
of the people who contributed their ideas at the presentations and over
coffee...I hope we have another chance to meet soon.

While in Vienna I have had the opportunity to meet Heidi from Kunstradio,
over lunch some ideas were discussed regarding possible Xchange and
Kunstradio collaborations at ARS Electronica. I beleive Rasa and Heidi had
also talked about this in Berlin...To cut a long story short (!) - one of
the ideas discussed was to transmitt individual Xchange net.radio stations
on microfm transmitters within ARS. Heidi would very much like to do this
with Xchange and after discussing this with Rasa it has been suggested by
both Rasa and Heidi that I post this idea to the list for your
comments...at this stage Rasa and Heidi are both keen to utilise this idea
for a Kunstradio-Xchange colloboration at ARS, and may discuss how the
project should be presented to the ARS committee for purposes of obtaining
a budget and space etc...please read this and comment, if you think it is a
good idea to utilise it as a xchange/kunstradio collabrotive project then
say so, if you think it sucks then say so!

I hope you like it, I think it is an excellent way to have a good Xchange
presence at ARS, and I also think that working with Kunstradio is an
excellent opportunity to establish intermedium as well as interorganisation
co-operation....





So read on!....


Static Between the Channels (Reset Radio)

Project Description for Ars Electronica: INFOWAR - information.macht.krieg


Project Description
1. A series of 12 micro-FM transmitters will be installed in the Ars
Electronica Newsroom, at regular intervals along the room.

2. Each transmitter will be a physical representation of a discrete step in
global time zones.  The space between transmitters will represent the
transition between time zones.

3. Audio content from net.radio stations will be broadcast by each of the
transmitters.

4. The radius of each transmission will be equal to half the distance
between transmitters.

5. The net.radio station broadcast by a transmitter will be from the time
zone that the transmitter represents.

6. All transmitters will be set to the same FM frequency.

7.  The public will be invited to traverse this space.

8. FM headsets, tuned to the micro-FM transmitters, will be available for
the public to wear.

8. The audience will explore the diversity of net.radio in a walk-through
experience of time zones and their accompanying net.radio entities.


What the Installation Demonstrates
Static Between the Channels  is a very simple but effective demonstration
of the relationship between net.radio and terrestrial radio. It opens the
door for the public to examine the similarities between these two mediums,
and the essential differences.

Static Between the Channels   will also inspire thoughts about the
possibilities of net.radio as an entity in itself and what can happen when
net.radio and traditional radio work together.

The World in 24 hours
Static Between the Channels  also recontextualises the themes explored by
the famous 1982 ARS Electronica project The World in 24 Hours by Robert
Adrian. While The World in 24 Hours was a  "low-technology" project
utilising readily available technology of the time such as telephone lines
and slowscan television, this technology has now evolved to become the
foundation of the internet.

Robert Adrians visionary concepts have been realised and fluid global
connectivity is now a part of many peoples daily schedule. It is hence
fitting to re-examine the themes introduced by Robert Adrian in 1982 within
the context of the internet and ARS Electronica 1998.

The Relationship of The Frequency Clockto INFOWAR - information.macht.krieg
Static Between the Channels  aims to both address INFOWAR's central theme
of the social and political interrogation of technology and how it can be
used to empower expressions of creativity, and provide a focus for the
exhibition of a diversity of net.radio projects from around the world.

The internet embodies its own contained institutions and hegemonies, which
as in real space, enforce cultural structures which can both inform and
impede expressions of autonomy.  Mounting pressure at the intersection of
real and online public space concerning issues such as public access to
online technologies and the increasing corporatisation and regulation of
the internet, often evolve into situational crises, ancillary eruptions of
INFOWAR.

The net.radio community has been at the forefront of the movement to
pragmatically address these issues.  Net.radio projects are representative
of networks outside regulative control, providing access and visibility for
indigenous cultures as well as opportunities for cross-cultural
collaboration. The net.radio community exhibits a practical disposition in
its approach to the internet, understanding the need to address the
increasingly corporatised nature of the internet, the need to create public
net spaces and to support independent and creative server projects.

At anxious junctures such as Net.Radio Days in Berlin in June assumptions
about technology and the hierarchies of interaction were able to be
examined.  In these instances net.radio provided an excellent illustration
of the collaborative and networking potential of online working
communities.

Static Between the Channels  continues the dialogue between the net.radio
entities represented at forums such as this and extends the dialogue
further to encompass participants of Ars Electronica's INFOWAR symposium.
Static Between the Channels  not only allows for the further solidification
of this grassroots subculture through the creation of a walk-through
exhibition representing many net.radio entities from around the world, but
also critiques the relationship between net.radio and terrestrial radio..

Static Between the Channels  provides the opportunity to explore many
aspects of INFOWAR primary focus. Addressing the issue of the origins of
technology which is now used for art or entertainment purposes, Static
Between the Channels  amalgamates terrestrial radio technology and
networked computer technology.

It is simultaneously global and domestic, a presentation of global
net.radio forums in a contained localised space. Static Between the
Channels  preserves the integrity of individual expression and grassroots
production by allowing each distinct net.radio entity to contribute an
aural depiction of the elements which impact on radio and net.radio
production.

The Ars Electronica Newsroom will become a site for the exhibition of
cybernetic radio hardware, an essential technological component in the
history of information warfare mechanisms. Static Between the Channels
allows the audience members themselves to become "intelligent tuners",
identifying and accessing audio net.data flows. This allows for audiences
and participants of INFOWAR to tap into information sources previously
reliant on the dual technologies of the computer and the internet.  Static
Between the Channels recontextualises net.radio within an inventive
exhibition environment and allows audiences of  INFOWAR to explore
net.radio spatially.


Cybernetic Hardware
By traversing this space while wearing a FM receiver headset, the listener
is the organic component of a global net.radio tuning mechanism. By moving
through localised radiospace the organic component determines the purpose
of the system - tuning Static Between the Channels  into distinct
bandwidths (net.audio time zones) through their physical presence in
localised radiospace. Like the vital role a crystal plays in determining
the receptor-bandwidth (measured in mHz) of the home-made radio, the
organic component in the cybernetic tuner determines the receptor-bandwidth
(measured in kbps) of Static Between the Channels .


Net.Radio
This installation provides an interesting framework for a deeper
exploration of net.radio. Xchange and Kunstradio can utilise the public
radiospace of Static Between the Channels  to demonstrate individual
explorations into the nature of net.radio and net.audio.  Possible Xchange
participants (in addition to the Static Between The Channels participants
at ARS), include:

Radio Ozone
http://ozone.re-lab.net/live.ram

convex tv.
http://www.art-bag.net/convextv

Backspace Radio
http://www.backspace.org/radio/live.ram

Radio Helsinki
http://helsinki.mur.at

Ministry of Experiments
http://www.radiostudent.si/mxz/live.ram

Kunstradio
http://thing.at/orfkunstradio

Radio Lada
http://giardini.sm/radio

Pararadio
http://www.c3.hu/para

t0 radio
http://t0.or.at

r a d i o q u a l i a
http://www.va.com.au/radioqualia

B92
http://www.xs4all.nl

Police Scanner
http://policescanner.com/dpd.html

Radio Internationale Stadt
http://www.icf.de/BES

The Thing
http://www.thing.net/radio

LADA
http://www.giardini.sm/radio

Interface
http://www.pirate-radio.co.uk/interface/pirate.html

Radio TNC
http://radiotnc.aec.at

FRO
http://www.fro.at

First Floor Radio
http://www.firstfloor.org/radiostart.html

Hardware Requirements
Static Between the Channels  requires the following hardware:
12 computers  for encoding (preferably Power Macintosh) with at least 32MB
RAM, Real Player 5 installed, MPEG audio player installed, analog stereo
audio-out ports (preferably 3.5 mm plugs or twin RCA), ethernet cards
installed with the necessary cabling to establish connections to the ARS
Electronica backbone.

2 mobile computers for encoding audio material from installations on site
at Linz. These would preferably be Macintosh PowerPC Powerbooks with at
least 48MB RAM, Real Player 5 installed, MPEG audio player installed,
analog stereo audio-out ports (preferably 3.5 mm plugs), ethernet cards
installed , and additional portable cabling to establish connections to the
ARS Electronica backbone or infra-red network connections if appropriate.

18 microFM transmitters  and cabling to connect to the encoding computers.
12 for use with installation and 6 back-ups incase any need repair or
replacement.

30 mini FM receiver headsets.


Budget
12 Computers					Provided by ARS Electronica *
2 Laptops						Provided by ARS
Electronica *

18 MicroFM Transmitters			4000 schillings

Encoder-microFM Cabling			700 schillings

30 MiniFM Headsets				12 000 schillings

Travel and accomodation for
r a d i o q u a l i a  project co-ordinator	20000 schilling**

Total						36700 schillings



* If this number of computers is difficult for ARS to provide then
Kunstradio will endeavour to make up the shortfall.

** The travel and accomodation costs can be supplemented by the
co-ordinator if the ARS Electronica budget cannot pay the full costs.



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