Posted by: Justin Grotelueschen on June 9, 2008 08:28 PM | Comments (0)

First off, I'd like to thank Transom for providing once again an incredible archive for our our 6th annual Radio Without Boundaries conference. This is the fourth such archive that Transom has provided, the first in 2003 - our very first conference originally called Transmission Sans Frontieres. It has been an invaluable resource for those researching radio art.

Secondly, I'd like to thank Justin and Nick for providing such great coverage of the weekend from the inside. They were obviously enjoying themselves but did not take their work lightly.

We have not changed the conference-within-a-festival format since the first conference back in 2003 when it was called Transmission sans Frontieres: two nights of performances and two days of keynote speakers, panels and with the last two year, lots of break-out sessions. We think we've found a formula that works for both artists looking to find out more about radio and radio producers looking to find out more about sound. We also want to be able to provide as many opportunities as possible for radio/sound artists and independent producers to interact with each other so that they leave the festival more knowledgeable and more excited about the wonderful world of radio and transmission art.

It was a treat to see Chris Brookes connecting with Gabe Sawhney on his murmur project (I new this would be something that would work well in Newfoundland - so many stories, so many memories) and to see the remaining few who stuck it out til the end enjoying the discussions by TradeMark G. (burning man festival), Gabe Sawhney (murmur project) and Peter Courtemanche (Art's Birthday and other web-based art exchange projects) in that last panel - Insight to radio on-site.

We are always thankful for the comments we get back from the delegates that attend. This year is no exception. We use these comments to refine/adjust/retain where needed and of course to support our grant applications in order to maintain funding. Thanks to all of the conference delegates who filled out our questionnaire.

And last but not least we are extremely thankful to AIR (Associates of Independence in Radio) for providing 5 stipends to 5 AIR producers to attend the conference; to free103point9.org for broadcasting the entire weekend of activities on their web-radio and for CKLN radio for providing the means and the support to make this broadcast possible.

The difference of course, from year to year, is the content and the challenge of course is to be not just current but a little on the edge. Of course with anything that's experimental, some things we try work extremely well and other things not so well. That is the whole point of being experimental though - always try to be just beyond the cusp, just a little out of reach, and then to see what responses ensue. This year's responses were overwhelmingly positive. Many are still talking about Tetsuo's moving keynote session and in absolute awe over his performance. And many are already wanting to implement what they've learned from Chris Brookes' keynote and workshop sessions.

All in all Darren and I feel truly blessed to have created something that has meant so much to many people and buoyed by this to create another spectacular event next year. We have already confirmed Brandon LaBelle and rumour has it that Gregory Whitehead can't wait to return once again next year.

Stay tuned through our NAISA Sound Channel e-newsletter for information about more upcoming New Adventures in Sound Art's events, or by checking our web-site for updates (www.naisa.ca). Deep Wireless is again scheduled for the month of May with the conference weekend at the tail end - May 29-31, 2009.

See you next year!!

Nadene Thériault-Copeland
Managing Director
New Adventures in Sound Art
www.naisa.ca

More from Deep Wireless 2008 :
« The Big Take Down | Final Thoughts as an Attendee »