satellite voyeurism
Artist-curator Francis Hunger is organising Satellite Voyeurism at the HMKV Hartware MedienKunstVerein, a two-day workshop researching the intersection of scientific and artistic practices surrounding the production and circulation of satellite data. The programme articulates two perspectives: on saturday, analytical and reflective presentations of cultural and technological issues associated with relevant geo-projects; and on sunday a more practical hands-on session capturing satellite sound and imagery with a simple diy kit and a pc.
Leading the practical workshop is Thilo Elsner, the current director of the Bochum Observatories (in the former West Germany). The Observatory is internationally recognised for the “field recordings” of the 1969’s lunar landing of Apollo 11. An interesting sound piece recently made available is the mp3: The Apollo 11 Lunar Landing , the stereo remix of the transmissions received from the Apollo 11 Lunar Module, Eagle, (recorded at the Bochum), with the NASA’s own recordings (recorded at Honeysuckle, but coming from Goldstone observatory in California).
Having been “warned” the software demonstration will be on Pcs I started looking for a mac application for sateliite peeping and found WXtoImg, a freeware weather satellite recording, decoding, editing, and viewing software, that works on windows, mac and linux. A simple description of the reception mechanism via APT (Automatic Picture Transmission) can be found in the remote imaging group site: signals in the 137MHz band can be received w/ the help of a scanner and an antenna, via computer’s soundcard.
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