Radio Arts was started by Magz Hall with J Backhouse in 2001 (see full history below), as an independent artists’ group who promote radio as a site for creative experimentation. Holding public workshops, produced sound installations, led public interventions, commissioned, published and broadcast new sound works by international artists and run live events.
Magz led Radio Arts workshops in acoustic ecology, field recording, transmitter-building, Duchamp-inspired ‘radical vox-pops’ and all facets of Radio Art activity; at arts spaces and Galleries such as the Manchester Science Museum, Tate Britain, The Turner Contemporary, Margate, Beach House, Herne Bay, the LV21 Light Ship, The Old Lookout Gallery Broadstairs, Whitstable Biennale, The Beaney,Quarter House for the Folkestone Triennial and the Supernormal Festival.
The Radio Arts expanded radio twitter account shares radio art related events, projects and opencalls. See photos and ongoing activities and workshops since 2012 on our dedicated facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/radioarts.org.uk
Selected Radio Arts Projects
Transmitter Workshop for 200 people at Victoria and Albert Museum Radio V and A in 2016
Dream Vessels (2016): Victoria and Albert Museum London new work by Magz Hall made with participants at Turner Contempory workshop (2015).
2015 Switched On live radiophonic event, the Beaney May 9th 7-10pm across the galleries
Switched On was a unique live event hosted by Radio Arts, and curated by Magz Hall presenting the work of an array of cutting edge sonic and visual experimenters. The Beaney will host live performances, installations and improvisations and will be illuminated by interactive visuals and kaleidoscopic sound-films. The performances will be complemented by radio installations and radiophonic music interludes.
2014- 15 ‘Dreamlands’: commissioned fifteen new radio works for broadcast on 10 partner stations, a 10 week series on Resonance FM and dedicated online Radio Arts gallery streaming the works.
Dreamlands Commissioned Artists: Arturas Bumsteinas (LITH), Joaquim Cofreces (Argentina),Iris Garelfs (GER), Anna Friz (CAN), Louise Harris (UK),Olivia Humphreys (UK) TBC, Esther Johnson (UK), Langham Research Centre (UK),GX Jupiter Larson (US), Michael McHugh (UK),Carlo Patrao (PORT), Mikey Weinkove (UK), Joaquim Cofreces (Argentina),Gregory Whitehead (USA),Genetic Moo (UK), Magz Hall (UK)
Hear all the works now archived at https://soundcloud.com/radioarts
12 Partner Stations broadcasting Dreamlands works: ABC National Radio Australia, RTE, BCB 106.5 (Bradford), Phonic FM (Exeter, UK), Radio Reverb (UK), Radio Papesse (Italy), Sound Art Radio (Devon, UK), Resonance FM (London, UK), Borealis Festival (Norway) Radiophrenia 87.9fm (CCA Gallery Glasgow) and Wave Farm (USA) and WGXC 90.7FM.
Reclaim the Waves Magz Hall and CJ Backhouse ran Reclaim the Waves workshops at the Tate Britain and worked with London participants over 60 to create a new radio installation about changing London exhibited at the Tate Britain March – May 2015.
Radio Arts Showcase 2014 : exhibition at The Beaney, Museum and Gallery Canterbury featuring new works by Joaquim Cofreces (Argentina) Esther Johnson (UK), Michael McHugh & Noise Choir (UK), Gregory Whitehead (USA), Genetic Moo and Magz Hall & CJ Backhouse
Siren Workshop 2014 and installation at Whitstable Biennale and Listen Out workshop at Folkestone Triennial
Peoples Horn 2014 Installation and performance at the Fuse Festival this Medway voice work aired Kinokophonography, NYC Public Library, USA, Fuse Festival Medway, Microworlds, Arcade Gallery Cardiff, Screen Festival Oslo
2013 Radio Art Workshops: Duchamp Festival Herne Bay, The Old Lookout Gallery, Turner Contemporary, Margate and The Beaney Canterbury funded by ACE and KCC supported by Turner Contemporary, Beaney, Canterbury Christ Church University and the CMA.
Radio Arts Lookout21 Residency: LV21 Lightship, Medway
2009 Symposium ‘Reinventing The Dial‘ Canterbury Christ Church University: Tom McCarthy, Dr Kersten Glandien, Professor Angus Carlyle, Dr Lance Dann, Peter Cusack, Kaffe Mathews, Magz Hall
2007 Published ‘You Are Hear’ CD, featuring 20 artists recordings from our archives
2006 Radio Art Workshops (eight weeks) The Albany, Deptford. Funded by European Social Fund and Awards for All. Aired on Resonance FM and in Canada and USA
2005 Curated Circle of Sound exhibition: Kaffe Matthews, Joe Banks, Iris Garrelfs, Sharon Gal, Magz Hall, CJ Backhouse and Tracey Moberley, Dan Wilson, DJ Wrongspeed, The Foundry, London
2004 Curated ‘You Are Hear Live’ experimental sound events, Cargo, London
2003 Published ‘Flatpack Antenna’ LP, featuring 29 artists including John Wynne, Jem Finer, Stewart Home, Gavin Turk and others as fundraiser for Resonance FM received 5 stars in the Times review.
2002-10 Produced You Are Hear live arts and music show on Resonance FM (2002-6) and Totally Radio (2006-10) and it critically acclaimed podcast.
Group’s History
Radio Arts started as South London Radio Arts in 2001, by radio lecturer, producer and artist Magz Hall and DJ musician and producer J Backhouse to promote radio arts activity across London via Community Radio Stations. As Resonance FM founding producers they promoted the arts station and were key in setting it up as a full time station. (1997-2006).
In 2002 the group received an Awards For All grant enabling them to put on air over 200 artists on the You Are Hear radio show broadcast on Resonance 104.4 FM for five years. You Are Hear was a highly successful arts and music radio show heard weekly on Resonance FM across London and online then on demand at www.totallyradio.com until 2010.
The You Are Hear podcast was downloaded by over a million users. Its now an archive of new music, festival specials and concerts available via feeds.feedburner.com/youarehear and via Itunes. It received critical acclaim in The Independent in 2008, Time Out, The Wire and other publications.
They also curated a sound art exhibition in 2005, ‘Circle of Sound’ as well as a series of live music events and a fundraising album ‘Flatpack Antenna’ which raised over £5000 pounds for Resonance FM.
In 2006 South London Radio Arts were awarded an ESF Fast Forward grant and an Awards For All grant to run a series of radio art workshops at the Albany Centre in Deptford, SE London; the work was then broadcast on Resonance FM. In 2007 they compiled a CD compilation showcasing five years of live radio sessions from their weekly You Are Hear show on the station.
In 2009 SLRA became Radio Arts, while the groups founder Magz Hall curated a Radio Art Symposium ‘Reinventing the Dial’ at Canterbury Christ Church University. Magz also presented a series of micro radio art installations at the Old Lookout Gallery in Broadstairs and radio interactions at the Whitstable Bienalle.
The group relocated and expanded its practice across the South East, overseen by Magz and joined in Kent by digital artists Tim Pickup and Nicola Schauerman (Genetic Moo). Radio Arts have held public workshops, produced sound installations, led public interventions, commissioned, published and broadcast new sound works by international artists. Their early activity was instrumental in helping develop London’s community arts station Resonance FM into a sustainable concern.
After relocating to East Kent in 2008 Magz organised an ongoing series of free public radio art workshops and projects till 2017 with RA run as a group, funded by ACE and KCC. Since 2017 Magz Hall has carried on invited RA workshops as an ongoing part of her own artistic practice, most recently she teamed up with Kathy Hinde in 2024 to run a Radio Art Lab in Bristol at Windmill Hill City Farm supported by the Brunswick Club as part of her Radio Air Garden Project which brings workshops together with her practice and others something she has done since the setting up Radio Arts.
Magz Hall 
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