BBC - Radio 4 - Radio and the Artist

"Making art is about realising the mental pictures you create in your head, radio is about listening to them."

Radio 4 has been part of my artistic life for as long as I can remember, from working in print editioning studios during the 1970s, when everything stopped for The Archers, to listening to the Afternoon Play in the 1980s, where one was always firmly convinced they used the same sound effect for sex and historic battles. A good play on the radio (sound effects notwithstanding) is always a far more intense experience than film or television, like a good book the pictures are so much better.

Radio appeals to artists partially for its ability to create random aural juxtapositions, so similar to the process of using a visual language. I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue is the perfect example: I am still laughing at the sound of "Old MacDonald's Farm" sung to the tune of The Eagles' "Hotel California" and, if proof is necessary that radio is the only true visual medium, my vision of the lovely Samantha is of a power dressed leggy blonde with librarian's glasses who is probably younger than the number of years I have been listening to the programme.

Listening to radio is perfect for making artwork, if I am undertaking a mundane task, such as tying knots for a kite piece, I can shut my mind to the work and go into manual autopilot thus leaving me free to listen quite intensely, hence having a strong visual impression. If the work is complicated I can mentally soften the picture and cease listening with the same concentration, leaving me free to focus on the task in hand.

Does listening to the radio help the process of creativity? Most artists I know listen to Radio 4, but making art is a solitary activity and the sound of the human voice is very comforting and companionable. However on balance I believe it does help. Making art is about realising the mental pictures you create in your head, radio is about listening to them.