Radiogrrrl_88

Introduction

(short summary 100, detailed desciription 250)
An investigation into the discriminatory nature of technology and technology-based art practices through sound and photography, focusing specifically on radio-based mediums and communications. The work is informed by contemporary Techno, Xeno, and Cyber-feminist theories to explore how technology could be used to create utopian spaces for women, nonbinary people, and trans folk. Developing knowledge through experimental practice and process on sound visual translation, the output for this project is a short film that utilises the weighty history of radio culture to explore bigger issues of gender bias.

Techno, Xeno and Cyber feminisms individually look at the relationship that women or people have with technology, computing, and the internet. With this concept in mind, I wanted to investigate data bending and how the transformation of media across formats could interject a feminist lens into a male-dominated landscape.
Focusing on radio communications as a basis for my experimentation, I began to take specific or outdated technologies and expand the parameters of that data exploring how translation can become the artwork.

SSTV is a radio-based transmission that uses audio to send images, allowing me to combine my research on sound with photography; shooting, writing and transmitting images with a scripted feminist dialogue. When transforming an image or sound into something new you become aware of the binary of each and everything. In the translation space, something pre-existing can be manipulated or bent into new forms and definitions through the framework of ‘queering’ and ‘glitching’ in reference to the work of Legacy Russell, Mindy Seu, Laboria Cuboniks, and Judy Wajcman.

Through glitching, distortion, and layers of sound, the film explores the movement from a very androcentric discomfort into a state of active ‘sonic agency’ and ‘feminist listening’, that mocks the outdated traditions of radio culture, in hope that one day the tone of discussion around women in technology changes.
The development of this piece would be to include live performance, further developing and reflecting on the topic of radio and the nature of transmission, continuing on theories of translated communication.

Photo the bedroom studio
Arrow. Available at: https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/arrow-png (Accessed: 06 Febuary 2025)
zap. Available at: https://www.vexels.com/svg-png/zap/ (Accessed: 06 Febuary 2025)
http://www.clker.com/clipart-radio.html
radio art. Available at: http://www.clker.com/clipart-radio.html (Accessed: 06 Febuary 2025)
antenna. Available at: https://www.taoglas.com/product/flexible-magnetic-whip-antenna-700960mhz1575-42mhz17102170mhz2-32-8ghz3-5ghz-with-1m-rg-174-2/ (Accessed: 06 Febuary 2025)

Denge

Sound Mirrors

The initial inspiration for this project began in Denge, Dungeness. An ex-airforce sight that has in recent year been taken over by the RSPB to preserve wildlife. On this sight due to the wildlife preservation is one of the longest standing examples of a sound mirror, a 200ft long concrete, concave wall thats primary function is to channel and direct sound so that it is concentrated into one spot. Origionally this technology was used as a first point of defence along the East coastlines of the UK, pinpointing incoming airstrikes from oversees during the first world war.

However, by world war two they were rendered mostly useless by the development of radar as well as planes becomming faster. The three dishes now stand rendered useless mostly for the publics spectical. The island is unreachable uless acess is given by the RSPB but if you can reach the sight it becomes a whisper wall/echo chamber/amplifier of sorts. You can be stood 60m apart and still hold a conversation perfectly without raising your voice.

The idea of communication over long distance began to fascinate me and this became the very first sound experiment Abi and I hosted, talking across a small island to each other and recording the sounds. This became the inspiration for the dialogue and tone of my MP1 work.

(left) triptych, Abi and I facing the sound. (looking at the sound mirrors, and looking at what they capture)
(below) whispers on the wall.
Scarth, R. Echos from the sky. (1999) Hythe Civic Society

contacts

i <3 files

Original image inspiration.

A selection photographed off of my wall and notes book when deciding on images.

The images taken and shot over the summer and autumn of 2024. Images were taken across a range of cameras. With digital photography I used nikon d3, coolpix and nikon fcz, and for film photography a canon ae1 program and baldessa f, all hand developed and scanned.
writing “the beautiful everything.”

Although I did not end up using all of these images they document the progress of my aesthetics towards this piece and pick up on my interest in human interaction and communication whilst also reflecting on previous work and continuing in my search for ‘loud’ images^7.

initial contact sheet 1
initial contact sheet 2
initial contact sheet 3
My computer image files for the project, december 2024
sunflowers in the sink 2024
bows to the party, im a pretty girl now
‘loud images’ concept in reference to: Balu, M. (no date) Ears for the eyes. Available at: https://ugotphotography.se/ears-for-the-eyes-auditory-perception-through-photography/ (05 Febuary 2025).
and previous research (how to make images loud a desktop documentary on youtube)

Selected Images

Most sucessful images

This is a selction of images that I decided to work with the most. These were sucessful because a number of things. Within my images I was trying to capture a leval off immediacy with intimacy. The images are documents tracing noise, movement and fleeting occurrences, all of the photographs are of people I know well and I depend on that to portray a level of fleeting occurrences.

They document a diaristic approach to everyday life by capturing recognisable sounds and situations through photography, of the spaces I have inhabited. Although they are tied and associated with my own concept of memory, the images of youth and the mundane world, evoke the viewer's own experience.

my radio setup

Monitoring the airwaves from my bedroom

When starting this project I realised I needed a setup that made radio accesable to experiment with. Using an RTL-SDR, (software defined radio uses digital components instead of analogue hardware to perform radio signal processing functions) I could use my laptop to recieve radiowaves without any of the expensive tech. I combine this with use of a webSDR that allows me to listen in across the world to different peoples radio setups. This allows me to recieve SSTV on certain frequencies and using walkie talkies, broadcast on lower band CB radio. The reach of wich covers London. I have been experimenting with 3 different antennas:
✔ a telescopic antenna mast (variable frequency)
✔ 433MHz (ISM) antenna mast (fixed frequency)
✔ UHF antenna mast (fixed frequency)

SSTV

Radio inverstigations

“Visual Communicator VC-H1

Portable SSTV is here! KENWOOD's VC-H1 represents a brand-new concept in visual communications that expands the scope and impact of amateur radio. Simply hook it up to your KENWOOD transceiver to start sending and receiving color images over the air.”^3

SSTV is an abbreviation of the title, slow scan television in reference to a communication type that was developed in the 1960s using a combination of radio and radar technology in order to send images via sound over long distance, even into space.

It usually operates of the 20 band frequency 14.23 MHz and is now used more by amature radio enthusiasts than anyone else to send specifically designed image and text as a form of hobbyist communication.

spectogram of an SSTV transmission. 'Slow scan television' (2024) Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Slow-scan_television&oldid=1264921153 (Accessed: 5 Febuary 2025).
Famous SSTV Astronaut Gordon Cooper, SSTV transmission from Faith. 'Slow scan television' (2024) Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Slow-scan_television&oldid=1264921153 (Accessed: 5 Febuary 2025).
Kenwood Visual Communicator VC-H1 SSTV recieving radio.
VC-H1 (2001) Available at: https://www.kenwood.com/i/products/info/amateur/vch1.html (Accessed: 05 Febuary 2025).
Written translation of radio listening on webSDR in Santa Clarita, CA 45 Miles North of Los Angeles
webSDR (2024) Available at: http://websdr.org/ (Accessed: 5 Febuary 2025)
+ 6. VHF and UHF WebSDR Located in south Hertfordshire UK using RTL Dongles IO91TP
webSDR (2024) Available at: http://websdr.org/ (Accessed: 5 Febuary 2025)

MMSSTV

MMSSTV

I downloaded the app MMSSTV by JE3HH T (Makoto Mori) to digitally transmit, recieve, create and decode SSTV audios.

The app works by generating audio from images by creating a modulated frequency dependant on image brightness levels as it scans the image from left to right, divided into rows. The frequency goes up for lighter pixels and down for darker ones.

Digital SSTV allows two benifit. The first is that you can keep the image present as it full sends, in analogue SSTV the image dissapears from the top so it can be compeleted at the bottom. The second benifit of digital SSTV is that colours can be used at a more accurate intensity and text can be placed ontop of images on the same sight creating a very distinctive aesthetic.

watch here:

listen here:

x_e_v_o_l_x · Xxx say hi xxX

figures

MMSSTV screenshot of open page
MMSSTV screenshot of the test image i broadcasted
audio files screen shot on my computer of test images
uploading test images to soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/x_e_v_o_l_x/xxx-say-hi-xxx?si=b76d111af4ed41b596990772d20fe53d&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

references

Initial Attemptes

Make it _MOV

I created a short video mainly compramised of a desk top screenrecording and two shots of me controlling it across two laptops for the WIP show on 18/11/24.

The desktop screen had the app MMSSTV running, decoding audiofiles that were being played from a logic pro composition running off of a second laptop.

The composition is a selection of SSTV messages combined with found audio from my time scouring the webSDR radiowaves on the HAM enthusiast frequencies amongst others across the globe. Although most of the samples came from live recording of radio channels, others were layered and repeated for a more interesting sound. There is everything including commercial snippits, idle discussion, morse code, distroted music channels, static and most importantly SSTV.

The SSTV in this selection I created myself to broadcast a linear or matching progression of images. The audio was so sucessful when performed I use snipits and composition ideas for the basis of my final piece video.

video files from my desktop
turning sound into images SSTV
drama,_i_love_u - SSTV screengrab 25/11/24
not_a_girl_irl - SSTV screengrab 25/11/24
reciever - SSTV screengrab 25/11/24
dream delivery - SSTV screengrab 25/11/24

listen here:

x_e_v_o_l_x · all without ever even stopping

Digital Manipulation

Test Board 05

Digital effects tests:

Once I had transmitted my images into audio I realised I could process that sound like any other and began to attempt effects and experiments to warp, bend and distort the signal, taking inspiration from data bending.

The output was these glitch like effects. The delay for example was a single count delay and you can see that it the way aspects of the image are repeated, however the delay being at a different timing had a slightly lower frequency making the repeat green.

These were interesting examples of ways in wich that transmission can be disrupted so easily. As with any data it can be effected.

digital delay effect
radio interference
digital distortion
radio interference
Digital skipping effect applied, mixing together different audio files and playing them together in order to create conjoined strips of different images.

Pedal Effects

Physical Pedals manipulation.

I repeated the same ideas as before, this time improving my technique using physical pedals to distort or data bend the image.

I ran the audio files through a guitar pickup that connected to up to 5 pedals and was then re-recorded onto MMSSTV with the effects run through. I documenting this process over video.

The effects pedals I used were:
Boss super chorus CH-1, boss flanger, boss overdrive, boss distortion, boss super octaver. i used the picups of a 90s Burns model Marvin.

I attempted to also run the signals through a sampler and synthesizer in order to change the ADSR, pitch, filter and attempt modulation through a Korg Minilogue however these attempts were unsucessful.

https://www.youtube.com/@x_e_v_o_l_x/videos
SSTV image ran through chorus pedals
screenshot of my desktop running files
SSTV image ran through flanger pedal
pedal setup
general setup