...try to listen to others

or just do nothing

wait while the ‘idea’ itself is finding us...

we are not running after it...01

In philosophy of mind, qualia are properties of sensory experiences. They are best described as the “what it is like” character of mental states such as pain, pleasure, and seeing colour. A qualophile would say that if you see a white table, the experience of whiteness is white qualia.

The art collaboration r a d i o q u a l i a have, since 1998, applied this principle to the making of artistic works which engage audiences in an enlarged sensory encounter with radio. Their works try to convey the “what it is like” of radio. Where traditionally in radio people are seen as merely listeners, r a d i o q u a l i a perceive people as broadcasters, transmitters. Everyone transmits information, ideas, expressions. People are radios.

Drawing on both philosophy and art theory, this presentation will show how this emancipatory framework of radio has been used to create playful and collaborative networked radio performances (such as 56H, 1998). It will also show how artistic works which range from the orphic (Free Radio Linux, 2001-2003) to the empyrean (Radio Astronomy, 2004-2008) can explore the qualia of radiophonic experience, eliciting sensations of pleasure, and even happiness, in the makers and the audience.