Radio Project
Radio art is interesting because it is an aural representation of a world that is very much focused on visual input. In listening to radio art, the audience potentially becomes aware of a reality that is beyond the visible. In other words, things that a person might not notice in the general, visually driven world, might become more apparent when listening to radio art. This is what I found when recording my interactions with taxi drivers in Iran. I recorded not only conversations during the journeys I took by taxi, but also other sound effect in these taxis, such as the music the drivers might have been listening to during my journeys with them.
One interesting thing that I noticed related to culture. The taxi drivers had a culture of their own, even while being part of the Iranian culture, they also had a particular cultural awareness that related to their profession. They spoke the same language as the rest of the Iranian nation, and also had the same historical background. However, there was a marked distinction...
This became apparent in the way they spoke about themselves and their profession.
Interestingly, this can also relate to the many cultures the taxi drivers come into contact with. As a result of their profession, it is likely that they are more culturally aware than others in the country. Hence, they are aware not only of themselves as a type of subculture, but also of cultures other than their own. This is a trait they have some pride in; the ability to relate to whomever they help on their way to their various destinations.
All this relates to cultural diversity. Taxi drivers represent cultural diversity because of their unique sense of culture among themselves, but also because they are able to relate to a diversity of other human beings, regardless of culture. These are things one might become aware of when listening to a recording of a conversation with a taxi driver. The words, language, and expressions these drivers use…
