Could the very essence of the act of listening, which is secret, solitary and minimal combine with the generous expansiveness that every communication network (or connected group of networks) sets out to promote and guarantee? And what would the conditions be for such a combination to work?
These are few of the difficult questions to which the new RAM – RadioArteMobile project is engaged with enthusiasm and vision to give an answer.
In the presentation of JANUS magazine, special issue on ‘sound’ with audio cd ‘On Listening’ participate Achille Bonito Oliva, Paolo Balmas, Angelo Capasso, Cecilia Casorati, Giacinto Di Pietrantonio, Jan Fabre and Riccardo Giagni
RAM begun as a nonmaterial unit for the reception, processing of materials resulting from the contemporary world of visual arts’ intermittent schedule. It then gradually tried to meet the need to give place, or rather places, to this new acoustic sensitivity which is so very specific but also felt as real by the artists in their experience and thought.
It thus found a way to tie itself as well as art – albeit temporarily – to new areas of action, different and far from each other but holding mutual relationships. These spaces are held together by the web interconnections’ invisible thread made possible by new technologies.
It is in relation to these very issues that RAM, having multiplied its capacity to listen to the ciphered message of art, addresses itself to it, and coordinates, promotes and stimulates thought about it.
And with the speed of a boomerang it all comes back. In the broadcasting of January 16th, RAM (RadioArteMobile) intends to connect by the means of live broadcasting Museums and private Institutions of contemporary art, artists, curators and listeners, exploiting the connection and sharing features of the Web.
During the broadcast it will be established on-line connections with personalities from the art world and institutions of the following Countries (from East to West): Russia, Slovenia, Austria, Germany, Italy (with Grid/Internet 2), France, Sweden, United States and Mexico.
Each place will propose a special sound contribution, and they will, all together, produce a single and virtual listening space creating thus the effect of a kind of "super-exhibition" with a common and enlarged participation. The basic idea is the reshaping of the fruition of artistic experience in a different time and social-space dimension.
The first appointment of THE ART OF LISTENING inaugurates the new headquarters of RAM, a "location" specially created by Mario Airò, Massimo Bartolini, Annie Ratti.. For the occasion, in the contiguous spaces Bruna Esposito, John Körmeling, Maurizio Nannucci, Cesare Pietroiusti, Vettor Pisani, Michelangelo Pistoletto and Gert Robijns have done special installations.
To try to give an unity connotation to the connections with the many locations, the artist Cesare Pietroiusti has been suggesting the project "Narratori per RAM" (Storytellers for RAM). From each of the 10 broadcasting places a person, chosen for the occasion, by a brief verbal contribution has been telling those elements that the radio as a mean is not able to transmit (contents and procedures of those visual works by artists involved, the material place of the location, the city of the transmission, etc.).
In the same context of the broadcasting, in the Architecture Department of the Universtity "La Sapienza" of Rome, it has been presented the next issue of JANUS magazine all dedicated to sound – distributed by Rizzoli for the first time in Italy and abroad. It is a collaboration between JANUS and ZERYNTHIA, born to give voice to writing. A CD, enclosed to the magazine, produced by Zerynthia, curated by Riccardo Giagni, collects the sound projects of the artists presented in this issue.
On the RAM website www.radioartemobile.it it has been inaugurated the Sound Art Museum, a virtual museum to be visited. This special section of the website is based on the presence of unpublished sound materials, selected sound projects, that RAM has already collected.
The artist Maurizio Nannucci has conceived a special section of the website, devoted to receive a part of the records of Zona Radio. RAM becomes, with this project, a reference point for students, scholars and people interested in the issue of sound in contemporary art.
