Hearing The Highway
In the 1972 BBC documentary 'Reyner Banham Loves California,' the architectural critic pops an 8-track cassette into his car stereo and begins a guided voyage around Los Angeles. A pleasant voice directs Banham to iconic sites like the Watts Towers, while Banham directs us to the 'real' Los Angeles comprised of strip clubs and mini-malls. With the growing accessibility of audio distribution methods, from cheaply-produced CDs to podcasts, audio tours have become a prime vehicle for artists and activists. A new large-scale project entitled 'Invisible 5' explores the potential of such guides to critically engage space. Created by a collective of California-based artists and organizations, including Amy Balkin, Kim Stringfellow, Tim Halbur, Greenaction, and Pond, 'Invisible 5' presents the voices of writers, scholars, and activists telling the stories of communities and their struggles for environmental justice along the major North-South interstate in California. Starting ! this April, the tours will be available for download, so you can embark on your own guided voyage into the 'real' California. - Ryan Griffis | NetArt News
~Can I-PODS be prompted (is that the right word?) by GPS readings? If so anyone with a cd collection, a microphone, a few hundred bucks (a few thousand?) and some good ideas can create audio guides (audio fictions!) for anywhere GPS goes and environmental sounds and commentary...voice-overs and soundtracks!...for real-time environments. Fantastic.
Is this the beginning of a new interactive medium or just better (i.e. more) travel guides?