The Radio_Copernicus Audio Archive

Since April 28, 2006, the audio archives from Radio_Copernicus, the independent and mobile German-Polish Artists Radio Station is  accessible to the public as a permanent exhibit in ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe.

Nearly the entire program that ran on air for almost six months from July until December 2005 in Polish, German and English can now be selected and heard at the Media Library at ZKM | Karlsruhe. Here it is possible to research artists, program content, background information, time slots and dates. The visitors of the ZKM can lean back comfortably in the listening-chairs [by Dieter Mankau for documenta 8] at the Media Library and listen to the numerous artist’s talks, readings, soundscapes, interviews, live-sessions as well as the 27 commissioned works of the artists radio station.

Under the direction of Professor Sabine Breitsameter [Professor of Experimental Audiomedia/Berlin University of the Arts] with the support of the Polish project-coordinator, Robert Gawlowski [University of Wroclaw], and a team of approximately 50 people, a program was realized this past year that until now had been unheard of on any other radio station. Related to current development in media arts and electronic culture, Radio_Copernicus dedicates itself especially to radio art, electro-acoustic art forms, live performances, new literature as well as current cultural and societal debates and discourses.

The main focus of the program is the 27 commissioned works given explicitly to chosen artists such as Robert Piotrowicz, Zbigniew Karkowski, Guy van Belle, ElletroVoce, Duo Merzouga, the artists group LIGNA, Stefano Giannotti. About 200 media artists, people who work in radio, producers, technicians, and organizers collectively developed Radio_Copernicus into a broadcast station that implements an innovative cultural radio concept. This has happened not only through its program content from pop to »high culture«, including the entire range of sophisticated artistic radio work, but above all through its unconventional discourse and presentation forms.

Professor Sabine Breitsameter, »The positive and enthusiastic reactions from artists and listeners show how great the need is for an innovative, and at the same time, artistically sophisticated radio on both sides of the border. Because the audio archives of Radio_Copernicus will be open to the public regardless of the broadcasting time in ZKM, our project gains in having a long-term effect.«

Radio_Copernicus, the independent German-Polish Artists Radio, ran from July 15th till December 31st 2005 on local and temporary FM frequencies as well as worldwide via Live-Stream in German, Polish and English every day, 24 hours a day. The mobile station operated between the two neighboring countries. It moved from its first location in Stralsund [July/August 2005] to Warsaw [September 2005], then to Berlin [October 2005] and finally to Wroclaw [December 2005]. Radio_Copernicus cooperated with the »garage« Festival in Stralsund, the »Warsaw Autumn«, the series of events, »Dis_Positionen« [Academy of the Arts Berlin] and »Talking Back to Radio – Radio as listener – Arty_ci zmieniaj_radio« at the University of Wroclaw as well as at numerous local institutions.