I spent a week sharing expanded radio art practice at CAMP Free Radio Pyrenees. I was delighted to be asked to co-host a week of radio art activities with Andrew O’Connor in one of the most picturesque mountain ranges in Europe, between France and Spain, breathing with nature but is also effected by air and water pollution. My mission was to share my knowledge of radio arts practice in all its forms and give an overview on UK pirate radio alongside my knowledge of expanded radio art. I worked in tandem with Andrew, who shared his perspective on US pirate radio and his radio art practice, Andrew set up an impressive station for the week so participants could broadcast on Free Radio Pyrenness as well as give them hands on experience of a full range of transmitters for arts projects.
I worked with participants to make a new reflective work about our location, which has its own specific ecological threats in the form of micro plastics which have been found in the air above the mountains, the same part of the atmosphere where radio waves are found. Also, pesticides have helped the chytrid fungus flourish killing healthy plankton in lakes in the area in turn destroying amphibian life. The camp was perfect place to get field recordings from the mountains for this. The skillset of the group was high and varied, so we had a range of expertise to share as well as many languages so most of the group got involved.
I have been thinking about how plastic pollution is being carried across the planet in a way that covers great distances unseen. I have also been reading about studies in India which are trying to use radio waves to move pollution like this away from cities using pulsed radio waves however it’s still not peer reviewed but still of great interest. With just a short time to work on the trail, we were up against the clock, but I was really happy with the result of our collaboration.
Voices
Laura Stutter Garcia, Catalan.
Meira Asher, Hebrew.
Carla Santana, Portugues
Edy Fung, Cantonese,
Damian Sivier, French
Tinja Ruusuvuori, Finish,
Elizabeth Briel, Chinese,
Andrew Oconnor, CA.
Magz Hall, UK.
Mix and recordings Damien Sivier with Stephen Sheill‘s field recordings from the mountain peak using a very low frequency magnetosphere via a Stephen P McGreevy receiver (BBB-4 VLF Receiver for broadband 0.1 to 11. kHz reception of naturally-occurring ELF-VLF radio phenomena).
Ideal for not only hearing the sunspots effects on radio but gave a sound to the plastic particles via part of the radio spectrum also found in the atmosphere where the plastic fibres are found.
On the final day we set up a collaborative radio installation trail with several works. I worked with the group to realise a micro broadcast of a radiophonic poem, which I composed during camp as response to my initial research on pollution in the area, from the towns central tourist office in eight languages. Several other field works were made and shared by participants on our micro trail. (Details to follow)
Long Wave:
The signal can’t reach her as she limps to freedom.
Plastic pollution, the marker of our times, rides above the clouds and though the radio waves, its tiny particles move across the planet like long wave.
Micro fibres dance on the wind above the Pyrenees, echoing the chorus of plastic waste high above Paris and London streets.
The disposable leaves an eternal mark, an inconvenient truth of ecocide.
The sky crackles as she inhales this micro plastic, floating down from the atmosphere as it mingles with insecticides, poisoning amphibians in crystal lakes.
Plankton disappears as the deadly chytrid fungus takes its place, as we turn the dial.
Magz Hall (poem and concept).
Open Wave Receivers
During camp I made Open Wave-Receiver’s with the group, as I have been following Shortwave Collective and was interested to see how well their pared down receivers shared in Make Magazine, would work in the mountains, especially resonant as this was a key location during WW2, when fox hole radios were first invented. I was am still also keen to try them out in different ways and see how signal is effected by weather and pollution. It was a shame wasn’t enough time to explore this aspect higher up the mountain. However everyone really enjoyed making them and picked up our camp signal really clearly. Having three members of Shortwave Collective Hannah Kemp-Welch, Karen Werner and Meira Asher on hand was also a bonus as they were able to share their project first hand which was fantastic.
We packed a lot into five days and have returned with huge enthusiasm for each others work and its clear more collaborations will come from this expereince.
http://irdial.hyperreal.org/www/vlf_booklet.pdf
https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/radio-waves-versus-pollution/cid/1672304
https://www.shortwavecollective.net/open-wave-receiver.html
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-spy-known-limping-lady-helped-allies-win-wwii-180971889/
https://www.campfr.com/course/onsite/70/free-radio-pyrenees-with-magz-hall-and-andrew-oconnor
Magz Hall 
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