invisible 5 - more than an audio tour

first off - an apology. i'm sorry about the creepy fake nail image in the last post. but not sorry enough to take it down.

here's something else to distract you. i recently learned about a very cool project that's been a year and a half in the making. invisible-5 is self-guided, critical audio tour of the I-5 corridor between los angeles and san francisco. through oral histories, field recordings, music, archival footage and other audio agents the tour details the sights and stories behind nearly two dozen environmental struggles that have manifested along that route.

invisible-5 is a collaboration between three artists and two activist organizations, and includes a website with beautiful maps and photos, downloadable audio and more information about each stop on the tour. a 2 cd set and map of the route will be availabe soon for your road-tripping pleasure.

soapbox time:

i'm especially enamored of this project not just because it powerfully uses audio to be critical, and political and to do important work, but also because it does this in such a creative way, with loyal and full attention to aesthetic and form. so much radio/documentary work that attempts to educate or inform listeners about serious issues / problems / inequalities does so with such little regard for overall appeal or complexion. most "serious" media is boring, and often plainer than plain. when, clearly, (case in point the invisible-5 endeavor) constructive agitation can indeed be (and sound) beautiful.