11mins. Narrative rezRadio

This project began with my interest in uranium mining on the Navajo Nation. Uranium was extracted from the region in support of nuclear weaponry for the Cold War. Unknowingly playing a lead role, Navajos have inherited three decades of environmental devastation. After conducting oral history interviews and photographically documenting the area I created a website for the compiled materials: http://www.turbinesongs.net/. While traveling throughout the area, however, I became interested in the diffuse and wandering broadcasts from tribal radio. They seemed to echo the surreal impact mining has left behind in its wake. I recorded excerpts of the radio programs and later edited them together in the form of an audio collage. Working with solar energy I hope to project the reconfigured audio through an outdoor installation. The proposed location for this installation is Wendover, Utah. The Center for Land Use Interpretation is sponsoring a residency there to explore the project’s configuration. The area contains a decommissioned military base along with a number of facilities related to mining and nuclear production. By introducing the audio collage to the space of Wendover the project will engage technology and social investigation through a hybrid landscape. Please activate the quick-time application below to hear a condensed version of the audio.