RADIO ART ARCHIVE
Sarah Washington
Tonic Train Flyer. Designed by Jess Puglisi. (May 27, 2015)
De-Distancing with Tetsuo Kogawa and Mobile Radio: Sarah Washington. Courtesy Mobile Radio. (Mar 26, 2020)
The Radio Art Hour: De-Distancing with Tetsuo Kogawa and Mobile Radio Broadcast Image. Courtesy Mobile Radio. (Mar 26, 2020)
Growing up in the UK, Sarah Washington learned the art of close listening while birding with her father and developed a love of radio hiding under the covers and listening to late-night pirate radio broadcasts from the English Channel. Washington grew up to be a musician, developing her own circuit-bent instruments, and teaching others to deconstruct electronics to create new sounds. Eventually, as the head of a musician’s organization, Washington was instrumental in starting up Resonance FM in London. In 2005, she and Knut Aufermann left Resonance to start Mobile Radio, an itinerant radio art project that travels the world to set up temporary radio stations and teach people how to make radio. In addition to Mobile Radio, Washington and Aufermann perform as Tonic Train, with Aufermann playing feedback instruments and Washington performing with her circuit-bent instruments. Washington and Aufermann were also instrumental in the launch of Radia, a network of radio stations dedicated to supporting and broadcasting radio art.