Commissioned by The Sonic Arts Network for the Sonic Arts Expo, Brighton, July 2008.
Mundane Appreciation teamed up with Felicity Ford and focused on the sonic aspects of everyday life combining radio broadcast, installation, book-making, audience participation and performance.
The show was broadcast on Radio Reverb 97.2fm and aimed to draw listeners into an entertaining exploration of ordinary audio ranging from unusual news and traffic reports to games like 'The Sounds of Your Life', the radio show excavated immediate situations for audio intrigue, playfully collapsing the borders between what is normally considered to be 'boring' or 'interesting'. Listeners were able to submit their views, audio clips, images and opinions to www.fantasticalreality.com
At the EXPO Mundane Appreciation went out in full force as roving investigators and setup an interview desk and a Game Show area where visitors were able to join in and become part of the show.
All 5 episodes of The Fantastical Reality Radio Show are available to listen to online.
Mundane Appreciation and Felicity Ford spent three months speaking to members of the public and collecting sounds over three main locations. Kayla in Brighton, Claudia in Mexico City and Felicity in Reading. Hosted by Felicity Ford, the shows were developed and put together via an online correspondence and are made from different combinations of over twenty different features.
A selection of clips from The Fantastical Reality Radio Show were broadcast in Brighton's Pavillion Garden as part of The Sonic Arts Expo's final event, Radio Day. A collection of sound artists transmitted their work using frequency transmitters in and around the public garden where visitors were given portable radio devices and asked to explore the grounds picking up signals.
All the jingles heard on The Fantastical Reality Radio Show including feature introductions and adverts were written and recorded for The Fantastical Reality Radio Show.
The Sutherland Road Bustop Advert; Out and about; The News Report; The Traffic Report; Statistics; The Sound Parade; MeetThe Expert; Mundane Appreciation Museum; Listen In; What's In Your Handbag/Pocket?
Written and recorded by Kayla Bell, Alan Grice, Matthew Twaites, Guy Tucker and Adam Bell.
The Fantastical Reality Radio short theme; The Sounds Of Your Life; The Perfect Cup Of Tea; Try To Name The Object, Situation Or Location; Ready Ticked To Do List Advert; The Lost Biro Finder Advert.
Written and recorded by Kayla Bell, Adam Casciario, Adam Bell and Ruth Ishbel Munro.
The Fantastical Reality Radio Show website; The Fantastical Reality Radio Show main theme; Irritating Noises Chart; Messy Tuesdays; Adventures In Washing Up; Using Only Your Voice; Sonic Postcards.
Written and recorded by Felicity Ford with voice overs from Guy Tucker on the Irritating Noises Chart.
During the Sonic Arts Expo, July 2008, The Fantastical Reality Radio Show set up a Mundane Appreciation display stand and activity centre to promote and find participants for the show. The installations were made in two locations over the course of the Expo festival. Initially at the Expo opening night party held at the Brighton University Cafe and again on Market Day at the Lighthouse gallery.
Visitors were presented with a range of activities such as Mundane Appreciation questionnaires including 'Draw your favourite chair' and 'describe your washing up routine'. Participants were asked to submit items to the 'Mundane Appreciation Museum,' fill out The Fantastical Reality Radio Show Activity Book, inventory the contents of their handbags or pockets and visit Felicity's alternative domestic soundscape musical scoring post. Guests were encouraged to take part in interviews about their methodology for daily life and play games such as 'Try to name the object, situation or location' where players were asked to spin a letter wheel and guess the object, situation or location after listening to a recording of the sound it makes, and 'Using only your voice' where participants were asked to recreate the sounds of mundane objects such as photocopiers or washing machines using only their voice. Recordings from the Expo event were used in the following episodes of The Fantastical Reality Radio Show.
The Fantastical Reality Radio Show activity centres offered a range of promotional gifts and prizes such as activity books, badges, pens, perfect tea mugs, magnets, postcards, balloons, aprons, t-shirts and cupcakes!
Excerpts
Jingles