SS: There are now going to be two versions of the AR in the world-the original one and the new version that Brennan is producing for Beyond Green. Could there be more? Should there be more?

Marc Fischer: More is more. It would be great to have an inject-o-mold made so that additional Audio Relays could be fabricated more easily. Brennan continually finds ways of enhancing the AR, and who are we to stop him? We hope that one day there is the budget to produce many more copies of the AR that can be spread out to a greater number of places and used in ways we can't even imagine. Time and money, as usual, hold us back. Archiving and logging the ever-growing number of CDs that people donate to the AR archives is also a challenge.

BB: We have also talked about more clandestine, boosted ARs that could "squat" the entire radio dial. We are nowhere near seeing something like this realized. We even talked about an AR that could interface more readily with the Internet, but again, this is only talk.

SS: Will the new AR have its own separate audio archive that's distinct to the history of this object's use, or will you try to keep the two archives synchronized?

MF: The two ARs can have different audio archives.

SS: What's your best-case scenario for displaying it within a museum or gallery show? In an ideal situation, would it be broadcasting all the time, for instance? Do you think the piece is compromised at all for those who will only see it when it's inert?

MF: There is so little exposure for so much of the audio work that is included in the AR's archives that the more the CDs are being broadcast, the better. It's intended to be used, not just displayed. We recognize, however, that interactive projects in galleries and museums are often subject to a great deal more handling and abuse than they can sometimes withstand. Seeing "out of order" signs on exhibits is always depressing.

We admire Brennan's design and craft of the AR-it is a beautifully built aesthetic object with a design that holds up even when it's not in use. But part of that beauty comes from seeing it function. Even unconventional uses can be wonderful. We observed gallery tech workers putting the AR to great use in Weimar, Germany, at the ACC Gallery. They used it to play their own CDs rather than the ones in the archives. They placed radios throughout the gallery rooms so that they could listen to transmissions of their favorite rock and reggae CDs all over the building while they were painting the walls. This deviated from the AR's intended function, but it was still nice to see the workers capitalizing on its ability to transmit.

Now that so many people have laptop computers, there could be other possibilities. Perhaps people could simply bring their computers to the gallery or museum and import CDs from the AR's archives into their computers. They could then share the sound files using Peer-to-Peer File Sharing. Here, the storage capabilities of the AR could be put to use and a different kind of transmitting could be enabled without ever turning on the AR's transmitter.

SS: Could you talk about how this project relates to Temporary Services' other mobile archive project? Or to Temporary Services' ideals and practices as artists?

MF: The AR is a tool that gives us another means of bringing creative work to broader audiences than experimental culture often enjoys. We feel it is vital that artists and other creative people develop new and imaginative means of bringing their own work and the work of others out into the world. The AR is an effective way for us to share some interesting audio projects that deserve greater exposure. Radio is terrific for sharing sounds and information.

The AR is also quite practical to ship and use in other countries. It allows many under-recognized people with CDs in the archives to piggyback onto exhibition opportunities that may happen for Temporary Services or Brennan.

BB: We are constantly moving between different contexts and modes of working. We will work in a museum or cultural center but just as easily broadcast out of our apartments or Mess Hall, the autonomous space in Chicago that we run with five other people. The AR can be a radio station when it is not being presented as an art project. It is very hard to control and can be moved rapidly. We like this aspect of the project, as it is one of many means toward building our own culture that can't be shut down by dominant powers.