Somewhere Around 900MHz

Sonic Surveillance Instrument

This project is now archived and was part of DDW24

A repurposed surveillance-instrument that generates a sound-composition by collecting sensitive information from nearby phones. Usually reserved for intelligence agencies to spy on citizens, here the misuse of common networking protocols enables the audience to listen to these hidden structures.

Involuntary Collaboration

This repurposed surveillance-tool generates a sound-composition in real time, simply by collecting sensitive information from nearby phones. It does so with the use of a software-defined radio, python-scripts and a self-built, digital instrument. The viewer can contribute to the resulting infinite, involuntarily collaborative sound piece with their unique data, solely by coming to the exhibition. While conventionally reserved for governments, intelligence-agencies and police to track and spy on citizens, here the misuse of common networking protocols results in a sonic record of this violence over time, and in doing so highlights political fissures in consumer technology. Utilising listening as research, this site-specific audio-visual composition is made for and by the people, and can help in getting an insight into the invisible network we permanently operate in. I tried to create a space for speculation and reflection on contemporary and future tactics of surveillance-capitalism.

By

Christian Schwarz

Hosted by

Newcomer Society
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About Christian Schwarz

Somewhere Around 900MHz, this surveillance tool creates a real-time sound piece by collecting data from nearby phones. Using software-defined radios, it turns this data into a collaborative sonic record, repurposing surveillance into art.