Crown: 30 Radio Performances in 30 Days During Lockdown

During the COVID-19 lockdown, artist and musician Roberto Paci Dalò launched Crown, a radio project featuring 30 performances in 30 days with remote guests. The project was conceived in one day with Alessandro Renzi (Usmaradio station manager), Carola Haupt, and Ilaria Gadenz (Radio Papesse), and began the following day. Performances connected Usmaradio's temporary studio at Giardini Pensili in Rimini with artists in Los Angeles, Vancouver, Zminj Istria, Vienna, Berlin, Mexico City, Turin, Naples, Venice, Montagnana Val di Pesa, Weimar, Rome, and elsewhere. The signal was relayed by Radio Papesse and bauhaus.fm. Paci Dalò cites inspiration from Robert Adrian's art and telecommunications projects since 1979, including at the Venice Biennale. Crown also had a didactic component through the School of Radio (Scuola di Radiofonia), active since 2017 at UNIRSM and Usmaradio. The first cycle concluded, and a weekly cycle with extended performances up to three hours is planned. An editor has invited Paci Dalò to produce a print and audio edition documenting the cycle. He is also considering a network of art spaces and radios to fund future cycles and compensate artists.