A group of anonymous ear-witnesses recount their individual experiences of what happened on the night the voice on the radio announced the end of days. Was it a case of “fake news” or a glitch in reality that revealed an incredible truth? All that remains are oral testimonies of fear, survival, and strange beauty. Taking Orson Welles’s 1938 broadcast of The War of the Worlds as a starting point for rethinking recent history and contemporary politics, this artwork proposes to be a transmission of fugitive voices received and sheltered by the radio listener.
Directed and designed by James Webb; Script Writer: Louis Viljoen; Recording Engineer: Dave Langemann, Voices: Emily Child, Brendon Daniels, Owen Manamela-Mogane, Dawid Minnaar, Denise Newman, and Lesoko Seabe
This artwork was made possible by the generous support of Linda Givon.