Disquiet Listening

Disquiet Listening by anthropologist, sound artist, and radio host Eugenia Seriakov (alias Cate Hops) was broadcast live from the Transnational Radio Lab artist residency at Mouhit Space and Dar Meso, Tunis. 

During the artist residency Seriakov offered an immersive radio experience for local artists, visitors, and external listeners. The entire residency spanned over 3 weeks, during which the artist conducted field research, took field recordings, and collected interviews. Local and touring musicians were featured in live improvised concerts. The recordings and live performances were partly recorded and retrospectively broadcasted, others were streamed live via FM and online radio.

What happens if you transfer the intimate moment of an event - happening right here and now - into another room somewhere else? Whether a concert, a reading, a whisper, or a talk, airing through radio allows any listener to have their intimate moment of hearing.

Disquiet Listening is a project that connects elements of live broadcasting, prepared audio, radio art, and the ordinary of everyday life. The radio broadcast celebrates the art of improvisation, offering a unique and immersive listening experience that explores the boundary between music and non-music. Featuring a dynamic mix of live acts, studio recordings, and field recordings, the program showcased the boundless potential of spontaneous musical expression.

Each day, 3 live acts, featuring local musicians in ad-hoc duos, with no predetermined setlists or compositions, conversations with the guest and the audience. These conversations turned around the creative process through the residency, focusing on the spaces, the people involved, and eventually on some totally random topic. At the heart of the program is a commitment to experimentation, pushing boundaries, and exploring new sonic landscapes. The focus on improvisation enabled spontaneity and allowed for the creation of something special.

All in all, it was an exploration of what’s beyond music, beyond the regular duration of a format, beyond the conventions of radio entertainment, and beyond the unsafety of improvised actions.

To see the map of broadcasts, click here.