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The Cultural Frontline: Nick Ryan: Recording our world under lockdown

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Nick Ryan: Recording our world under lockdown

11/04/2020 GMT

BBC World Service - The Cultural Frontline, Nick Ryan: Recording our world under lockdown

The artist Nick Ryan on recording the sounds of the coronavirus lockdown

Nick Ryan is an artist who has dedicated himself to the exploration and understanding of sound – and he wants to hear what you hear. Nick talks to Nawal about his ambitious project to collect the sounds heard by people around the world during the coronavirus pandemic.

Have you seen the videos of famous songs with the lyrics changed to fit lockdown or of people desperately trying not to touch their faces? We’re being inundated by Coronavirus internet memes responding to the global pandemic and being shared on social media. Technologist and writer An Xiao Mina sheds light on the ins and outs of meme culture. 

Would you be tempted to have a cute pet-like device in your home? Or would the idea of it having cameras for eyes or being operated remotely by a stranger put you off?  Samanta Schweblin’s new novel Little Eyes follows characters from around the world as they interact with these fictional machines.  The Argentinian author tells us why she wanted to explore the sinister side of technology in her new book. 

Plus Charlie Brooker, the mastermind behind the hit TV series Black Mirror, on how his love for video games changed his life.  

You can contact The Cultural Frontline and send us your sounds from lockdown. Just email us at theculturalfrontline@bbc.co.uk

Presented by Nawal al-Maghafi

Image: Sound artist Nick Ryan
Image credit: Nick Ryan

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