Spiritual Radio

Magz Hall
Finalist

A unique transmitting radio book made by sound and radio artist Magz Hall, its bespoke hand-bound pages are held shut by copper nails, connected by wires to form an FM transmitter circuit hand built by the artist; transmitting the words therein in an eternal loop. It can no longer be read conventionally, rather the text awaits the listener who is tuned to the right frequency. The visitor hears ‘Spiritual Radio’, a book published in 1925 that sets out cleric and radio enthusiast Archbishop FH du Vernet’s vision of the nascent technology as a spiritually-charged electrical force capable of mediating human sensibilities and the transcendent will of God in a text that is by turns visionary and often absurd in the bathetic disjuncture between spiritual promise and quotidian reality. The reading is of the spiritual text (voiced by Mark Pilkington) with additional music and sound by Magz Hall and Xylitol, the work sees technology ‘as a spiritually charged force’; the value of the content of the book surpassing its physical form.

Artist Statement

Magz Hall

I am exploring the artistic potential of radio and its use outside of conventional settings. I have produced a series of nine radio art installations, broadcasts and actions since 2008 which consider alternative futures for the FM as an overarching theme. This work was the culmination of a practice based PhD at CRISAP, University of the Arts London. My PHD is titled: Radio After Radio: Redefining Radio Art in the Light of New Media Technology through Expanded Practice. I am interested in reclaiming the airwaves as a site for creative experimentation.
My practice websites
https://magzhall.wordpress.com/
http://radioarts.org.uk/

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