Marine antenna and FM transmitter installed on the roof deck of the Hurricane level of the Staten Island Ferry, September, 2007.
The FM Ferry Experiment
Angel Nevarez with ferry rider Sheria Washington singing an impromptu song during on-air activity, September 21, 2007.
The FM Ferry Experiment (2007), a project conceived and programmed by neuroTransmitter, was an eight-day mobile radio project held on the Staten Island Ferry during the Fall of 2007. With the collaboration of the New York City Department of Transportation and the FM signal of WSIA-FM, this project transformed the S.i. Ferry into a floating radio station, continually traveling between Lower Manhattan and Staten Island, and transmitting out to the NYC region.
Through the media of radio and live broadcast performance we were interested in spatially and sonically activating the space in and around the Staten Island Ferry, considering it's architecture, mode of transport, use of public space, and the geographical contours of the ferry's immediate environment as it moved through Upper New York Bay.
Live sound performances, experimental sound works, interviews, and lectures took place on the ferry and transmitted (along with pre-recorded programming) to New York City listeners via WSIA-FM. Each program ran approximately 25 minutes—the time it takes the ferry to complete the commute from shore to shore.
For more information, visit fmferryexperiment.net
Valerie Tevere and Angel Nevarez introducing the day’s program, September, 2007.
Alex Matthiessen of Riverkeeper with ferry rider/listener during on-air activity, September 28, 2007.
Valerie Tevere with on-air performers/artists Rit Premnath and Jesal Kapadia, September 22, 2007.
Ralf Homan, Angel Nevarez, and on-air crew in The FM Ferry Experiment studio on the Staten Island Ferry, September 29, 2007.