Critical Sounds - Patchbent: Building an Open Wave-Receiver w/ Shortwave Collective

The Patchbent Sessions are a meeting place and learning community supporting women, trans, and non-binary people in sound and music. 'Open Wave-Receiver' is the Shortwave Collective’s design for a simple, low cost, no battery, radio receiver. Though initially based on foxhole radios and crystal sets proliferating in the 1940s, we think of our work with the circuit more as a reinterpretation, a reclamation, an intentional moving away from roots entangled with the military, and the single clear channel, from which much radio technology stems.

During this workshop, participants will follow the build instructions and guidance of Shortwave Collective members to create Open Wave-Receivers from household and easily accessible materials. In the second half of the workshop, participants will move outdoors to test and experiment with receiving frequencies.

$25 materials fee. Sliding scale, donation-based participation.
Spots are limited, registration required

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This event is part of Critical Sounds, a symposium and festival exploring the intersection of sound studies, electroacoustic music, and experimental performance. Bridging academic inquiry with artistic practice, the program features a keynote lecture, live performances, practice-based research, and workshops—including a special session with Chicago’s own DJ Lady D. All events are free and open to the public. View the full schedule of events. 

Presented by SPIL, the Department of Music, Arts + Public Life, GLPAC & Arts Incubator, and Patchbent at Experimental Sound Studio (ESS)