Take your place as a player in a radio orchestra

Modern Art Oxford Yard

11am-5pm

Free

Janek Schaefer’s latest sonic creation is an orchestra of radios.  With a Transmitter Trunk full of FM transmitters, Janek’s pirate station hijacks and saturates the entire radio spectrum within a short radius.  His selection of classic portable radios is used by the audience to pick one of twelve separate parts of a composition, tuning in and out to make infinite new arrangements.

The Local Radio Orchestra will play two pieces of music composed by Janek:

Love Hz uses recordings of an Indian bellows organ called 'The Shruti Box'.  Twelve separate notes from this intricate hand pumped drone instrument have been recorded.  Each will be broadcast on a different frequency across the FM radio spectrum in ascending order.  The lowest note at 88FM and the highest at 108FM. You are encouraged to join the orchestra and perform your own arrangements by retuning the dial and influencing the character of the work.  

Secret Service [all creeds all colours] collects examples of religious celebration music and sound from around the world. It showcases the glorious diversity of the cultural melting pot we inhabit. There are twenty eight recordings to tune into on the radio dials. This music was originally produced for Colourscape, Clapham Common 2010.

Local Radio Orchestra was commissioned by OCM, South Hill Park and Beaford Arts with support from PRS for Music Foundation.

Image credits: Janek Schaefer