Multi-Band Excitation: A New Piece For Radio with Agnes Cameron and Robida Collective in Topolò, Italy (2025)
Multi-Band Excitation is explored in three forms. an electronics workshop and ‘hang out’ to discuss theory, and an installation. The piece pulls from Tetsuo Kogawa’s writing and designs for an FM Transmitter, Fred Moten and Sefano Harney’s Undercommons, Frantz Fanon’s writings on the Voice of Fighting Algeria and Radio Alice’s philosophy towards pirate radio.
For a full reference library see our are.na project channel. This first performance was done as part of Robida Collective’s Radio Gardening Summer School.
The first stage of the piece is the workshop and ‘hangout’, described here. You can find a description and archival materials of the installation here.
After a brief explanation of the circuit diagram and principles of FM radio broadcasting, participants were sorted into groups of 3, with those with experience soldering, distributed equally. A brief soldering tutorial was shown while those with experience began collecting the necessary parts for their groups.
Once groups had assembled their radios they were tested using a software defined radio and then sent to establish a ‘base station’, from which to read out and broadcast an excerpt of one of the texts. Each group is given a different excerpt and was asked to broadcast on repeat, while another member of the group tries to locate another group’s broadcast.
After this task, participants were then invited to ‘hang out’ and ‘grab a beer’, to discuss theory and philosophies of DIY electronics and radio, in addition to summarising the workshop.
After this the radio’s made during the workshop were then used as part of the installation.
Photos by Antônio Frederico Lasalvia
