The Interactive Radio Machine is a custom-built, interactive radio that allows for auralizational of data about diversity of radio hosts in Canada s largest radio market. The radio allows the user to explore how many women and/or racialized persons are hosts/presenters there are on any of the radio stations on the dial. After selecting a station with the tuning knob, the user may select which type of data they want (a toggle switch that selects between women, men, or visible minorities), and the radio will convey that data: the antenna acts as a meter, rising to indicate what percentage the selected group comprises. A sound composition plays back at a volume that likewise reflects that same percentage.
The radio-machine is a unique combination of fine art (experimental sound composition), social science (diversity data), and physical computing, illustrating data in a unique way. Users can explore relationships between data points physically, incorporating sight, touch, and sound, allowing a different way of accessing and understanding the information.