Water Radio is a project of the Nature Connection Arts Lab (NCAL), which offers transformative, creative experiences outdoors. Based in Miami, a center of the climate crisis which requires proactive care, NCAL programs foster gratitude, respect, and a renewed commitment to our ecosystems. NCAL is a new initiative seeking seeking institutional partnerships. NCAL will offer public programs in collaboration with local gardens, parks, hospitals, galleries, museums, and wellness centers.
Water Radio was submitted to the Miami Foundation’s 2018 Public Space Challenge. Please leave your comments or vote for my project here: http://www.publicspacechallenge.org/place/531102
Proposal Title:
Water Radio for the Biscayne-Everglades Greenway Canals
MY IDEA TO IMPROVE THIS PLACE…
Water Radio is a live audio broadcast during a series of kayak outings. People will travel and listen to the sounds of nature underwater. Water Radio will promote the canal waterway as a transportation alternative and as recreational space. It will improve people’s understanding about the history, current function, and potential future of the canal system.
Canals control and divert water to prevent flooding in urbanized areas. The canal system will become an important focal point for residents of Miami as we face the climate crisis and sea level rise.
Water Radio’s kayak is outfitted with an underwater microphone and environmental sensors to transmit sound art and music through a live radio stream.
SO THAT PEOPLE COULD…
People will experience hidden ecology as it is made audible. This project extends participants’ sensory understanding of place, and allows people to explore nature in an urban setting. Water Radio will allow citizen scientists to collect data like temperature changes in order to assist research scientists.
The Miami-Dade canal system is already popular with urban anglers. Water Radio will engage more residents in this unique ecosystem.
During each trip, I will serve as an interpretive guide. Each participant will be invited to record an audio message addressed to the waterway. People will have the chance to connect with the water and to share their hopes and fears about Miami’s liquid future.