as part of FAXEN
Sound installation, 2017
Microphone, mirror ball motor, shortwave radio, speaker, table
Dimensions: 200x200x150cm
The sound installation “Transposition” is rooted in Albania’s emigration history. The regime’s collapse in 1991 triggered Europe’s largest emigration movement after the Second World War.
In search of this transnational Albanian identity, the sound installation “Transposition” explores the emigrant countries of the Albanian diaspora in an acoustic way. “Transposition” focuses on shortwave radio stations from countries with a significant Albanian community, such as Greece, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Canada and Turkey. Shortwave radio is particularly striking in this context as it is used for very long-distance communication on a global scale.
Upon approaching the sound installation, visitors experience a blended soundscape of radio stations from around the world. A slowly rotating microphone captures this multitude of radio stations as it passes, rendering each of them audible via headphones. The listener can hear a steady fading in and out, a mix of different radio programs constantly generating new and unexpected combinations.