This sound installation explores the concept of hacking through an immersive listening experience that reveals otherwise inaudible forms of information transmission, and contemplates on mobility and the intimate present. It combines a set of antenna that captures real-time aviation radio with electromagnetic microphones that detect the ambient electromagnetic fields generated by nearby electronic devices. Together, these sensors collect and convert signals into sound, creating a shifting soundscape directly influenced by audience presence and movement.
The antenna in the work receives VHF (Very High Frequency) signals in real-time, tuned to the 110–130 MHz aviation band, capturing wireless communications between the control tower and cockpits at any airport close to the exhibition venue.
The work reflects on men’s irresistible curiosity for transmitting unknown information that extends beyond the realm of everyday life. Although in some countries, radio—including aviation communication—is openly accessible, in most places, it is not available through public channels. For explorers, such behind-the-scenes systems add a layer of mystery to their exploration, fueling a desire to “hack” into systems that everyone lives upon, thereby unraveling their inherent enigmas. By building radio receivers and listening in on cockpit conversations, we participate as observers. The presence of the observer does not necessarily disrupt the system's order, but for the listener, it is a way to transcend their physical location.
The act of "hacking" is realised through sound and listening. The electromagnetic microphone works as a contact mic that senses and reflects any electronic devices that pass by. Within the exhibition space, it detects even the most intimate devices, such as mobile phones carried by the audience. Such signal is based on the magnetic fields generated by all operational electrical systems in the audience’s surrounding environment. This field has an equivalent penetrative power to that of aviation signals and a coverage that often goes unnoticed in daily life. The result is a shifting field of sound directly linked to the audience's activity. In this listening experience, audience discover their physical location and contemplate beyond their surrounding environment. This dual-channel approach turns the exhibition space into a vast field of intersecting signals—an intimate, dynamic environment that foregrounds the audience's physical and spatial awareness.
The merging of electromagnetic fields and radio signals becomes an exploration—from the ground-level, audience-carried sources to the larger-scale systems of information transmission—perceived through the act of listening. Through hacking, I seek to breach barriers to these signals sometimes constrained by laws, to listen, detecting into an intricate system connecting the intimate surroundings and space. This is to remind audience of the curiosity we possess for the transmission of enigmatic information beyond the ordinary.
