Experimental film shows life and death of RCI antenna site

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For interdisciplinary artist Amanda Dawn Christie it started out many years ago as a sound project, trying to capture the radio signals people were hearing in their sinks, toasters and fridges near the Radio Canada International shortwave transmitter site in the Atlantic coast province of New Brunswick. But as the “radio sink girl” started hearing from more and more people about the transmitter site, she decided to make an experimental landscape film, showing the site through all four seasons.

As she prepared for the filmming, it was announced that Radio Canada International would stop transmitting on shortwave in 2012. And then later, that the towers and attennas at the Sackville, New Brunswick site would be demolished.

They were in fact demolished in 2014. And the artist found herself as a unique witness of the end of a site that was constructed in the late 1930s and would transmit Canada’s “Voice to the World” from 1945 until 2012.

RCI’s Wojtek Gwiazda spoke to Amanda Dawn Christie about the beginnings of the film project “Spectres of Shortwave” and the extraordinary efforts she took to document the end of the transmitter site. Christie’s art career includes experimental film, video installation, performance art, photography, and electroacoustic sound design.

More information:
Spectres of Shortwave film project – here
Amanda Dawn Christie website – www.amandadawnchristie.ca

“Spectres of Shortwave” trailer:

The towers fall:

twitter.com/wojtekgwiazda

24 comments on “Experimental film shows life and death of RCI antenna site
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  7. What a fascinating piece of radio history! I love how this experimental film project captures both the technical and human aspects of shortwave broadcasting. The image of people hearing radio signals in their everyday appliances like sinks and toasters is such a vivid reminder of how radio waves permeate our environment in ways we often don’t notice.

    It’s touching that the artist stumbled upon this story through community voices and decided to document it. Shortwave broadcasting has such a rich history, and it’s bittersweet to see these transmitter sites becoming part of the past. The Atlantic coast location in New Brunswick must have provided some incredible signals over the years.

    I appreciate that this project preserves not just the technical side of radio, but the personal connections people had with these broadcasting facilities. Those “radio sink” experiences sound like something out of a unique oral history project. It’s exactly the kind of artistic preservation that helps keep these technological chapters alive for future generations who might only know radio through streaming services.

    Here’s to 70 years of Radio Canada International and the artists who help us remember these important pieces of communication history.

  8. What a fascinating piece of radio history! I love how this experimental film project bridges the gap between technology and art. The concept of “radio sink girl” is so wonderfully evocative – there’s something almost poetic about capturing those radio signals leaking from everyday appliances like sinks and toasters. It really speaks to how radio waves are all around us, often in unexpected places.

    It’s bittersweet to think about the life and death of the antenna site. Shortwave broadcasting has such a rich history, and RCI has been a significant part of Canada’s international presence for seven decades. The fact that an artist found such creative inspiration in these decommissioned transmission facilities really highlights how these old sites hold cultural and artistic value beyond just their original technical purpose.

    I appreciate that this kind of interdisciplinary project exists – it preserves not just the technical aspects of radio broadcasting, but the emotional and sensory experience of what it was like to live near these powerful transmitters. For those of us who didn’t have direct experience with shortwave sites, this kind of artistic documentation helps us understand and feel connected to that era. It would be interesting to see if the film tours or becomes available more widely so more people can experience this unique piece of Canadian broadcasting heritage.

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