Writing my thesis last year, I developed a habit of listening to Radio National’s Life Matters hosted at that time by Julie McCrossin. The medium of radio swept me up in the stories of ordinary and not so ordinary lives.
Radio is often considered television’s daggy, old–fashioned cousin. But, the introduction of podcasts by many radio stations has given people access to shows from around the world, which you can listen to at any time on your computer or MP3 player. Particularly, when listened to through glossy white earphones, the medium of radio has become white–hot (excuse the pun!).
A powerful medium, radio, like the written word allows you to imagine what you can’t see. The realism attained in the radio adaptation of The War of the Worlds, in 1938, which was structured to sound like a breaking–news broadcast interrupting an entertainment show, caused a nation to panic. Sure, there were some pretty scary moments in the movie War of the Worlds, but somehow I’m just not going to believe that Tom Cruise is being attacked by real aliens in live–time.
But, I’m rambling, and what I was really going to talk about was Radio National’s new show ‘By Design’, which Bila + Design wrote about a few days ago. As great as it is to read about design, it’s refreshing to listen to people talking about design on the radio, especially the interaction between the different designers and the commentator of the program. Of particular relevance to MODE was a discussion on habitat dioramas, which remains available to listen to in their archive of past stories.
Also of interest, is Radio National’s arts show The Deep End. In what was a brave and also innovative idea, in Your Gallery The Deep End enabled their audience to curate an actual exhibition at the Newcastle Region Art Gallery. Each week, after a discussion about the decisions that needed to be made, the audience was allowed to vote on the direction they wanted to travel.
Another great radio show that deserves a mention is Design Matters with Debbie Millman. Interviews include famous designers, Stefan Sagmeister and commentator Virginia Postrel. The first two seasons are now available as Podcasts from iTunes.
There are also heaps of museum podcasts entering the foray. Many of these podcasts are museum guides that can be downloaded by the audience – I’m compiling a list of these for MODE, which I’ll be posting soon. I’d also like to see more podcasts in Australia by museum audiences – stuff like Art Mobs, which asks people on their site to ‘hack the gallery experience’ at MoMA by creating your own podcast guides and sending them to Art Mobs.
So, no more gathering round the wireless – start downloading. Or even better, produce a bunch of DIY museum podcasts of your own for your mum, friends, neighbours, or if you’re really feeling adventurous, a bunch of strangers from the other side of the world. And if you do produce one, e–mail me so I can post it on MODE ;) |
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