Pirate Frequencies: Echoes of East London

A site-responsive sound work using pirate radio archives to reanimate East London’s broadcast history.

Pirate Frequencies: Echoes of East London was a site-specific sound project by Katherine Green, commissioned for V&A East’s Sound Clash, part of the back2back public programme at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

Using five low-power radio transmitters placed across the park, the work invited visitors to move through the landscape and tune into a mix of archive recordings and newly recorded interviews. Drawing on the DIY spirit of pirate radio, the project used simple broadcast technology to create a playful and accessible encounter with East London’s music heritage.

Approach

  • Five radio broadcasts transmitted from different locations across Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
  • Archive recordings from pirate and community radio reactivated in the public realm
  • Visitors collected headphones and navigated the park by tuning into each signal
  • Zine-making workshop extending the project’s heritage material into hands-on creative activity

Installation of radio transmitters around the Olympic Park

Visitors collecting headphones to explore the broadcasts across the park