radio feature, duration 52’ 22’’
a look back at the Exhibition “Radiophonic Spaces” in Weimar by Laura Anh Thu Dang, Maria Antonia
Schmidt and Eleftherios Krysalis, production by Bauhaus University Weimar and Ö1 Kunstradio, broadcasted at Radiokunst-Kunstradio, Ö1, 15th of September 2019
The exhibition “Radiophonic Spaces” brings ephemeral radio art into the mu- seum space and links two worlds that are closer to each other than they might at first seem. In addition to writers, composers and theatremakers, visual art- ists have always worked with the diverse possibilities of the medium of radio. “Radiophonic Spaces”, under the direction of the Chair of Experimental Radio at the Bauhaus University Weimar, combines the artistic examination of radio art and radiophony with a scientific research project. The results of this crea- tive interplay unfold in an immersive parcours that presents approximately 200 treasures of international radio art. Historical and contemporary positions are brought into relation: from Antonin Artaud, John Cage and László Moholy-Nagy to Michaela Mélian, Milo Rau and Natascha Sadr Haghighian. There are also projects of Ö1 Kunstradio such as Horizontal Radio, as well as some Ö1 radio play productions.
Radiophonic Spaces, as a listening trail through 100 years of radiophony, and the opening weekend Radiophonic Places in Weimar, proved that you can very well stroll with your ears.
Over 200 pieces of international radio art were taken from the archives of the stations and prepared in a modern way. The exhibition opening in Weimar, which is already the third manifestation, took place on 26 July in the library of the Bauhaus University and drew parallels to the Bauhaus anniversary, which is also one hundred years old. The first stations of Radiophonic Spaces took place in 2018 at the Museum Tinguely in Basel and the House of World Cultures in Berlin.
John Cage, one of the most formative sound artists of the last century, was indi- rectly inspired by the gramophone experiments influenced by the Bauhaus artist Moholy-Nagy. Later, he himself taught at the Black Mountain College founded in the USA, a further education institution in the sense of Bauhaus education. The connection between the Bauhaus and sound art was also discussed in theexhibition’s supporting programme.
For three days, the walk-in listening room was expanded by a mobile radio studio, the media car. Performances, discussions and workshops were held on the subject of hearing in the Weimar urban space. A parcour through 100 years of radiophony and the nine stations of the Radiophonic Places.
lefteris krysalis 