Art Transmission - A radio experiment
Don't tickle me..
PUNCH!
art_transmission

Listen to all four instalments of "Don't tickle me.. PUNCH" by clicking on the links below
"Don't Tickle Me.. PUNCH" Part 1 'Jabs-up Lets-go'
"Don't Tickle Me.. PUNCH" Part 2 'uhZZ-uhZZSCH'
"Don't Tickle Me.. PUNCH" Part 3 'Undercut'
"Don't Tickle Me.. PUNCH" Part 4 'Sugar Ray Rhythm'

Art Transmission was a radio experiment devised by FrancisKnight and Daniel Nash of BRFM, it took place between January and July 2014. Funded through Arts Council England's Creative People And Places for Medway & Swale it was part of the Ideas Test's 'Out of the Ordinary' programme. It's aim was to support and inspire clubs, groups and societies, on the Isle of Sheppey Kent, to step out of their comfort zone and work with an artist to try something new. Three commissioned artists Kate Chapman, Jane Pitt and Jim Whelton made new art for the airwaves.

Jane worked with Minster Golden Gloves Amateur Boxing Club, Bluetown, Sheerness. The format of her pieces for radio broadcast was inspired by the Amateur Boxing three minute round rules and the training routine at the club. With the overarching title "Don't tickle me..PUNCH!" four individual tracks 'Jabs-up Lets-go', 'uhZZ-uhZZSCH', 'Undercut' and 'Sugar Ray Rhythm' were aired on four consecutive Mondays through May and June 2014 on the BRFM Bridge Radio 95.6FM Daniel Monday Night Show. A fifteen minute remix was aired on the 7th and 12th of July 2015 on Resonance FM.

The sound tracks were created through a process of getting to know the discipline, atmosphere and mutual respect at the club over a five month period with the layering of recordings of voices, footwork and sparring in the gym and the sounds of the fabric of the building.

art_transmission
Jane commented that ...
"There's a strong sense of family at the club. It's a hectic environment, which was a challenge to record but achieved with a combination of directional and contact mics. There's no idling as the young boxers get stuck in, their focus sharpening as the session unfurls. A shrill BRRRRRRRriiiiiNg hails the start of each 3 minute training round; a cyclical soundscape including the tup of deft footwork, expelled air 'Issch-Issch' underscored by the thwAhP and DwUHp of glove on bag, interleaved with the hwhirr'hwhirr'whhirr'hhirr' of breathtaking ropework. Trainers coax and motivate, praise and push 'hook..backhand..roll underneath it..backwards..right back..good..jab-JAB-JAB..move..push em out..almost there..one more..almost there..one more..' The intensity builds second by second until a trainer shouts 'TEN SECONDS' and everyone pushes as hard as they can to that final BRRRRRRRriiiiiNg and the reminder to 'BREATH' 'Stretch off' 'Suck it up'"

You can hear the radio interviews with Daniel about the progress of the project here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jJLTmfdfVI&feature=youtu.be
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWavZmdXhiM&feature=youtu.be