Communicate your ideas, comments and reflections on technological and social „revolutions“:

You may call 0800 22 69 77 (toll-free in all of Austria!) now or during the live broadcast on April 24 at 23:05 and make a statement. All comments will be processed and edited by Timothy Didymus using the so-called “jump cutting” method; the results will form part of the radio work “Breaking Points”.

"Breaking Points" confronts social turning and breaking points both in terms of content as well as form, i.e. it looks at the way in which technological breakthroughs have repeatedly inaugurated new social orders while at the same time provoking artistic innovation.

Timothy Didymus has outlined some of the topics that are relevant for "Breaking Points":

Please make sure to relate your statement to one of the following topics; we welcome all comments from factual information to personal ideas and experiences all the way to fictitious stories. Please note that you may talk for a maximum of 2 minutes only!

Sounds – racket, clamour, static noise – and the organised noise (music) have always signalled the future.

Each technological jump, each innovation evokes a new order – as much in terms of artistic innovation as in terms of economical “revolution”.

Each breakthrough leads to yet another turning point which time and again is kicked off by itself.

1. The OPERA – as the first form of musical art in Europe and based on the principle of 'pay to view' (starting app. in 1600)

2. The classical European music tradition with its development of the musical score from MOZART TO ROMANTICISM (1756)

3. The invention of the TELEPHONE – and the legendary first telephone conversation between Alexander Graham Bell and his assistant Thomas Watson (1876): "Mr. Watson, come here, I want you!"

4. The invention of the PHONOGRAPH („Sound Writer“, „Speaking Machine“) for the recording and reproduction of sound.
It is ascribed to a number of scientists – among them Thomas Alva Edison (1877: "Halloo Halloo") and Emile Berliner (1877).
The research carried out by Heinrich Rudolf Hertz (1888) and Valdemar Poulsen (1898) forms the basis for the development of radio telegraphy and the wireless.
Further path breaking developments in this field were achieved and provided by Telefunken and Raymond Dolby.

5. The first transatlantic long wave transmission accomplished by Guglielmo Marconi in 1901.

6. The development of the COMPUTER: in 1936 Konrad Zuse invented the first functional computer (in today’s understanding), the so-called „Z1“.
Further milestones in this field include electron stream tubes (for radio engineering, amplifiers), the oscilloscope for television and computer screens, the transistor and integrated circuits such as microprocessors and chips.

7. The beginnings and the breakthrough of ELECTRONIC MUSIC in the 20th century thanks to the Italian and Russian Futurists. Here, the significant tools included the cassette recorder, the synthesizer, sampler and last but not least the computer (digital music).

8. The introduction of the INTERNET (the distribution of digital information). Vinton Cerf is as much considered „the father of the Internet“ as Tim Berners-Lee is known as the “founder of the World Wide Web“.
Further key words in this context: Hypertext, HTML, Broadband, Search Engines …

9. PODCASTING, a significant tool for the future of the radio.

The topics listed are meant as suggestions for your own ideas, stories, associations, experiences and considerations while beyond the factual knowledge we’re also interested in historical, fictitious, poetical, scientific and speculative aspects that may contribute to this discourse.

In the third week of April, Timothy Didymus, the British artist who is considered one of the pioneers of computer generated music since taking part in the development of the KOAN music generator (which is currently developed further by Brian Eno!), will be featured by Kunstradio together with the piano player Glen Capra as artist in residence. More recently, Didymus caused a sensation with his four-day performance “Dark Symphony” at the Ars Electronica Festival in 2003

Kunstradio will present Timothy Didymus as part of the EU project „radio.territories“. The project’s umbrella organisation is Orange 94.0. “radio.territories” initiates and presents public space interventions across Europe and will come to an end this September with a conference held in Vienna on the concepts of Media / Radio – Society – Urban Space.

The EU project involves a network of European radio and media art initiatives in Berlin, Sofia, London, Budapest, Vienna and Bratislava.

Thank you for your contribution!