The Art of Noise: A history of experimental radio

What does it mean for a podcast or radio story to be “innovative” or “experimental”? Is it in the writing? The structure? The use of sound?

Join Andrew Leland and Michelle Macklem as they trace the roots of narrative audio from some of the form’s newest producers back through radio history to the medium’s original innovators, with an emphasis on underrepresented and underheard artists. Andrew and Michelle make a case for the future of experimentation by exploring a treasure-trove of work that has shaped, and weirdened, the way narrative audio sounds.

WORKS CITED

Audio

• Delys, Sherre. “Fidelity.” ABC Classic FM: The Listening Room. 2001.
• Hannan, Camilla. “Stargazing for Beginners: Now you’re outside.” ABC RN: Soundproof. 2016.
• Pabani, Aliya and Angela Shackel. “Sexcoven.” CANADALAND: The Imposter.
• Pietropaolo, Paolo. “Ode to the Salish Sea.” Deep Wireless Festival. 2009.
• Rezza, Sol. “We Are Measuring the River.” Long Live the New Sound. 2018.
• Rogers, Janet. “The Tube.” Self-released. 2017
• Schafer, R Murray, Bruce Davis and Peter Huse. “Soundscapes of Canada: Canada I.” CBC Radio: Ideas. 1974.
• “Soundproof Theme Remixes.” Andrew Tuttle, Casey Rice and Jon Tjhia. ABC RN: Soundproof. 2014-17.
• Westerkamp, Hildegard. “Beneath the Forest Floor.” CBC Radio: Two New Hours. 1992.

Text

• Akiyama, Mitchell. “Unsettling the World Soundscape Project: Soundscapes of Canada and the Politics of Self-Recognition.” Sounding Out!, 20 Aug. 2015
• Brettle, Kyla. “Radio Is Dead: Long Live Radio Documentaries and Features.” Australian Audio Guide, 8 Feb. 2017
• Byrne, Ben. “Notes – Listening to Writing: The Sonics of Language.” The Wheeler Centre, 11 Mar. 2015
• Coyle, Rebecca. “Sound In Space: Adventures in Australian Sound Art - Australian Sound Design Project Event.” Australian Sound Design Project, 21 Aug. 2003
• Kestecher, Natalie. “Working with Sound: Natalie Kestecher.” Australian Audio Guide, 27 Apr. 2017
• Lindgren, Mia, and Miyuki Jokiranta. “RN's Creative Audio Unit – What's That All about?” The Conversation, The Conversation and School of Media, Film and Journalism, Monash University, 9 May 2014
• Madsen, Virginia. “A Radio D'auteur: the Documentaire De Creation of Kaye Mortley.” :: SCAN | Journal of Media Arts Culture :: Dec. 2009
• McMahon, Ryan. “The Future Of Indian and Cowboy.” Indian & Cowboy, 30 Sept. 2018
• Pabani, Aliya, and Mitchell Akiyama. “That Time The CBC Aired 10 Hours Of Crickets And Church Bells.” CANADALAND
• Schuman, Joan, and Gregory Whitehead. “Earworms + Radio Voices: In Conversation with Gregory Whitehead.” Earlid, 2017
• Westerkamp, Hildegard. Beneath the Forest Floor | Hildegard Westerkamp

Further Credits
Thank you to Ayesha Barmania, Hildegard Westerkamp, Miyuki Jokiranta, Paolo Pietropaolo, Ryan McMahon and Sherre Delys whose interviews and conversation informed the making of this presentation.

Nina Garthwaite and Martin Austwick’s map of radio producers and influences can be found here: https://martinaustwick.github.io/RadioNet/

Andrew would like to acknowledge these writers, producers, and resources: Nina Garthwaite, Karen Werner, Keith Talbot, Neil Verma, Eleanor McDowell, Gregory Whitehead, Helen Thorington, Michelle Macklem, Michal Story, Paul Wilson and the British Library, Suzanne Snider and the Oral History Summer School, Julie Shapiro, Anna Friz, Yvette Jackson, Karinne Keithley Syers, Nick White, Julie Rogers and Nicolette Kahn at the NPR archives, Jason Loviglio, Ross Simonini, Martin Spinelli, Scott Carrier, Art Silverman, Peter Breslow, Ernst Karel, Niela Orr, Ania Mauruschat, Douglas Kahn, Tim Crook, Alan Hall, Michele Hilmes, Jeff Porter, Virginia Madsen, Jonathan Sterne, Jacob Smith, Jeremy Braddock, Transom.org, ubu.com, and many other writers, producers, and books including Transmission Arts (MIT, 2011).