Faint Earth Murmur is an audio installation commissioned by the Harvard Collection of Historical Scientific Instrumentsfor a special exhibition on the history of radio called Radio Contact.
Faint Earth Murmur aims to resurrect the long since lost in the internet-age, excitement and anticipation of physically tuning a radio dial to discover new stations and new sounds. The installation brings gallery visitors on an unpredictable aural journey of the past 100 years of radio via six themes ranging from politics to entertainment to sports.
The piece consists of a six-channel audio installation divided into three zones within the gallery:
An original Midland radio from the 1940s was gutted and fitted with electronics and 3D-printed parts so that the radio tuner controls the audio, allowing visitors to tune into stations that interest them.
Excerpt: