Entertainment Investigation #2

This piece centers around the radio, as it is a symbol of the rapid modernization of this country through the industrial revolution, and was one of the earliest forms of widespread, syndicated entertainment. The radio brought national news, soap operas from New York, baseball games from Chicago, horse racing from Kentucky, the list of things to listen to were endless. Like the television, the radio would fundamentally change a household, the children suddenly caught up in the exploits of their favorite protagonists in their favorite radio shows, and the parents might listen to the Grand Ol' Opry, or a variety of different concerts broadcast each night. The routine of coming in every afternoon to listen to your favorite program is something that no longer exists, and I am fascinated by the way that a radio might have changed the daily life of a kid in some tiny town somewhere in America, who no longer had to read the box score in the local newspaper because he could suddenly hear the events of the game, as they happened. I don't think such sudden changes in the way we live our lives exist anymore. Someone went from reading all of their information and entertainment to having information and entertainment read to them, while perhaps a thousand, maybe even a million other people listened to the very same broadcast. It was a new way of consuming information that was completely auditory.

To make this piece I used bristol board, glue and, spray paint. The piece was constructed to be solid, with the sides attached to the front and back pieces using a single strip of paper with tabs cut into it, which were then glued in place. The spray paint was then used to create a uniform color, as the paper was discolored by dust accumulating in the glue.

This piece was pretty straightforward from the start, and the only thing that changed was the sizes of the 'knobs' and the way that the dial and little screen looked. I decided to use a more modern design for that part because I felt that viewers might be confused as to how the radio was changed, but with the three knobs and the little screen, I think it makes sense to the viewer.