What's the most boring sound you can think of? Have you ever considered the sonic potential of The Washing Up? Have you ever made an audio postcard from the comfortable confines of your very own kitchen? Furthermore, has the contents of your pockets ever struck you as a creative basis for generating radio content? No? Yes? Other? The makers of Mundane Appreciation Week and The Missability Radio Show team up to bring you just such a random collection of sonic adventures and we think you'll like it!
Felicity Ford is undertaking a PhD entitled ‘The Domestic Soundscape’ and is investigating ways of presenting everyday sounds to audiences. Her last major project, The Missability Radio Show was a participatory project focussed around the design of disability-related equipment and drew her into the artist’s use of radio. The Missability Radio Show was exhibited at Oxford Brookes’ MA Showcase, in the Prick Your Finger haberdashery window and at The UK Stitch’n’Bitch day, and is featured on the Social Design website.
The Official Missability Radio Show Website
The Missability Radio Show on Myspace
Mundane Appreciation, founded by Figueiredo and Bell in February 2007, is an agency devoted to promoting and exploring the processes of day-to-day life. They use audio, installation, performance and participation to encourage their audience to document and celebrate aspects of their daily lives. In an ongoing quest to gather more information, Mundane Appreciation hold events, make radio broadcasts and conduct interviews. Mundane Appreciation week has exhibited at Oxford Brookes University graduate showcase and at the Battersea affordable art fair.
Mundane Appreciation Blog
Mundane Appreciation on Myspace
Commissioned by The Sonic Arts Network and RadioReverb, these artists are creating a series of radio shows that contemplate everyday sounds and situations. Featuring a range of Gameshows, Interviews, Listening Spots and Competitions, The Fantastical Reality Radio Show intentionally questions the established categorisation of 'boring' and 'interesting' sounds. Building on the ideas of John Cage, the idea of 'the banal' and arts practises concerned with the idea of 'The Everyday,' the show is affirmative and celebratory, while at the same time challenging and questioning perceptions of what is/isn't interesting or worthy of considered listening.
Do you want to take part in The Fantastical Reality Radio Show? Mundane Appreciation and Felicity Ford would love it if you would! And it's so easy to participate.
Participation Activity 1
Tip the contents of your handbag or rucksack onto any nearby surface and itemise meticulously its contents. Place the inventory in the comments section of this myspace, into an email to mybag at fantasticalreality dot com and await fame and glory.
Participation Activity 2
Note an everyday sound that irritates you more than any other. A sound that makes you grind your teeth, perhaps, or forget what you were thinking about. If you want to take it to the next level, perhaps photograph the offending source to have your irritating noise and photo featured on our forthcoming website! Put irritating noises into a message here, into an email to irritant at fantasticalreality dot com or in the comments section of this page! Await proper acknowledgement for the injuries caused to you in your lifetime by the irritating noise.
Participation Activity 3
Name a sound that you consider to be unutterably boring and tedious. The most boring sound you can think of. Name this boring sound in the comments section here, in a message to us, or in an email to boring at fantasticalreality dot com. We will feature it!
Participation Activity 4
Detail a messy corner/drawer somewhere in your home or place of work that you consider to be noteworthy. It could be notable because of size, rarity of contents or length of tenure or it could be notable because you love it or had fun doing something else while it was accumulating. We want to know about your mess! Google 'Messy Tuesdays' for inspiration from craft bloggers everywhere who have joined the glorious trend of Messy Tuesdays. Become part of the joy and mail details of your mess and musings on its sonic potential to mess at fantasticalreality dot com! Or send us a Mess age. (Haha.)
Participation Activity 5
Do you do a brilliant vocal impression of the dishwasher or of aeroplanes passing overhead? Can you fool your co-workers into thinking that the computer is on when it isn't using just your voice to impersonate the persistent hum of its fan? Do you pretend you are a washing-machine when you are rinsing your mouth after brushing your teeth? If not, does the idea of trying it out appeal? If you do these, or similar, things, then there is a chance for you to shine! Tell us about it in an email to voice at fantasticalreality dot com. Modest prizes and copious booze for the best vocal impersonator of everyday sounds.
Participation Activity 6
If you take a lot of photos why not consider taking a closeup of something that you see everyday in your home? We ask only that the photograph feature something you would consider to be a mundane feature of your surroundings. Every week we will change the background of this myspace to feature photos YOU have sent in! Simply email mundane closeups to photos at fantasticalreality dot com and we will feature your photo here.