28/10/2024
Launched in 2003 by artist Graeme Miller, LINKED is a radio installation installed on lampposts across 3 miles of North East London. It is an artistic response to the creation of the M11 Link Rd in the 1990s which involved the demolition of over 400 buildings, most of which were homes.
Like a ghost town, as you follow this path surrounded by cars constantly passing you, each transmission gives you an insight into the life that once existed right where you stand. I have never experienced an art piece like this before and found it very interesting. Although I was unable to travel to each radio point due to lack of time, I was able to very quickly gather an understanding of how different life was in the area simply 30 years ago. It was a rather gloomy, dark day when we visited this project and so the atmosphere that came from this experience was rather melancholy, however after talking to Graeme afterwards, this actually suits this piece of work. Hearing his reasoning behind- how his house was destroyed with no sympathy or care, all simply for a road. It is sad.
One thing that stood out to me and inspired me was how Graeme had composed each recording, although rather simple, each recording was composed in a different way, some with music and more complexity to them, layering voices and cutting them up. These recordings stood out to me because although he had treated the composition more like making a piece of music (or at least that is how I interpreted it), the story was still clearly told and it added to the effect that was trying to be conveyed, it became much more emotional.
I have a new particular interest in working with voice and sound and so this was a great piece of work to experience and understand how impactful just voices can be. As well, the use of radio transmission was very interesting as it is such a common thing that is happening all around us in another sort of dimension really, its something I am so unaware of most of the time, and so by being forced to focus on it made even just walking around an entirely new sensation.
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