WildUrban Radio

Dana Gordon (IL)

Installation, 2009

What are the birds singing about when we’re not there to listen? Do you want a dose of nature indoors?

WildUrban Radio is a device that allows us to eavesdrop on our tweeting neighbours by tuning in to their streaming channels from our urban environments and synchronising to their natural pace of life. As we tune into the life of an animal, the suggestion is that we might be able to sync our daily routines with it, creating a new type of bond.

The navigation knob allows exploration of nearby wild audio streaming. The radio in the space gives visitors the opportunity to listen to a variety of live sounds from birds streaming stations, placed near an animal’s territory or nest. Does this allow us a closer link with nature or does it enable a permanent detachment from it?

WildUrban Radio was created in collaboration with the MIT Media Lab Ecology group, and exhibited at Harvard Graduate School of Design as part of the Ecological Urbanism Conference.