Radio that Matters is an international project whose core is performance art, radiophonics and acoustic inclusivity. It is a joint Creative Europe pilot project of Baltic Circle festival, Short Theater festival (IT), Festival Parallele (FR), Errand Sound (DE), Radio Papesse (IT) and PAV (IT).
What kind of experientiality, community and cultural exchange can radio as a medium offer for performing arts, whose starting point is usually in showing and visuality? How are listening and acoustics related to care and social justice? Could the form of sound open up new sustainable practices for performing arts international circulation?
The focus of the project that redefines distance and presence, is to explore audio inspired imagination and the politics of sound in public space. Radio that Matters strives for inclusivity and acoustic justice, activating different spaces and forms of listening that can produce new opportunities for sharing, storytelling and artistic work.
The project of three European festivals and two sound art organizations is built in cooperation between local radio stations, artists and organizations promoting cultural diversity. Baltic Circle’s partners in Finland are the Culture for All service and the Cultural Services for the Visually Impaired. The festivals produce new performances that tour at the other project festivals. In addition, workshops, listening events, seminars and discussions are organized, and action towards more inclusive culture events is taken.
Part of the project from the festival programme in 2023 were the listening event Sound drawings, Eilien ja Pink-187’s concert Music for birds and others, Raoni Muzho Saleh’s performative concert Trans(in) Moan(in), lecture Gathering in a Multi-vocal MOOOOAAAAAAANN Ensures Solidarity, workshop Moaning Choir as well as the open rehearsal Moaning Choir – The Never Ending Moaning of a Polyphonic Choir ending the workshop. In addition, Baltic Circle held four listening events, where where Digital Masterclasses from Radio Papesse’s YASS! You are so sound programme.
The artists involved in 2024 are Alessandro Bosetti, in collaboration with ASP Sant’Alessio – Marcherita di Savoia (Rome),
produced by Short Theatre / AREA06, Ellen Virman & Mia Takula (Helsinki), produced by Baltic Circle and Maude Blandel, in collaboration with ASLAA association (Marseille), produced by Parallèle.
