“Radio Chimney” project consists of re-functioning the historical out of using industrial vapour chimneys of Barcelona as sound receptors which listen to the city. Entering into the chimneys and recording the sounds of the chimneys in different elevations to find different frequencies and phases is the starting point of the project. For increasing the creative value of public spaces, like a daily life rupture agent, the project produces several encounter chances between humans and creative sound “act”. The chimneys are becoming sound installations by a different perspective and attribution.
In the case of Radio Chimney, we are facing with the fact that, a landmark urban object which had a function until 1960s remains its existence nowadays as just a visual monument. But what is the meaning of a monument? Protection of the historical chimneys as heritage values is important but can’t be other ways of protection other than declare the chimney as an untouchable,impenetrable “monument”? An other way such as giving a new function to the chimney? In the Radio Chimney fieldwork, taking attention to the relationship between the historical significance and funcionality has been an important objective. Throughout the project, one chimney has been hacked by a new functionality: as a sound experiments labratory.