Leaning tower of Wireless - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

Cobaltblue · 4th Apr 2016, 9:55 pm

Apparently seen in the Tate Modern.

I have a soft spot for art thanks to Dame Barbara Hepworth and growing up in St Ives.

Not sure this counts but it is impressive in scale and execution

See this response over on VRAT http://www.forum.radios-tv.co.uk/vie...p?f=17&t=12943

Cheers

Mike T

vinrads · 5th Apr 2016, 8:20 am

I want that one at the bottom

high_vacuum_house · 5th Apr 2016, 8:48 am

Imagine the heat generated turning all those on!

Hopefully it doesn't end up like Tim Hunkin's television pyramid all burning down at the end like the secret life of the television!!

Christopher Capener

Herald1360 · 5th Apr 2016, 8:52 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by vinrads

I want that one at the bottom

Sorry, but you'll have to buy the complete artwork. Quite possibly at some multiple of the total cost of all the sets.

Anyway, buying large old units and stripping them for interesting parts is frowned upon a bit

'LIVEWIRE?' · 5th Apr 2016, 7:38 pm

Seemingly you have to be a member of VRAT, and logged in, to view any content there.

ms660 · 5th Apr 2016, 7:42 pm

I suppose you could call it the Round Tuit...I'll get m'coat.

Lawrence.

Cobaltblue · 5th Apr 2016, 7:47 pm

Sorry

My Bad I put it in the Lounge which is a members only area.

Nuvistor and Stitch added links:

http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate...cildo-meireles

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmpkMMFCPv8

Vinrads quite clearly wants the one at the bottom

Don't we all

Cheers

Mike T

Cobaltblue · 5th Apr 2016, 7:49 pm

Lawrence

I agree don't give up the day job

Cheers

Mike T

slidertogrid · 6th Apr 2016, 11:13 am

I can't see Elf and safety allowing someone to power up a load of old valve radio sets without it being made safe.. Whilst they can run the modern transistorised stuff safely enough I can't imagine the valve sets were powered properly? Maybe just a low voltage lamp inside wired to a transformer?
Otherwise as others have said they run the risk of the whole lot going up in smoke!
Many years ago I saw a Huge "Robot" made out of 1950's French TV sets in a gallery in Paris.
All of the sets looked original but close inspection revealed they had all been fitted with modern CRT screens. This was well before the Flat panel sets came out so new CRT sets were still easily available.
The strange thing was that having gone to all that trouble none of the sets were on?!
The gallery was closed at the time, I just saw it through the window so maybe they just didn't run it unattended?
I'm not sure I would consider a great big pile of old stuff as art though? Surely you don't have to be an artist to do this? I could make a great big pile of vintage TV sets if I wanted

But would it be art? would it make me an artist?

Answers on a post card...
Rich.

Radio Wrangler · 6th Apr 2016, 11:25 am

I like it! I also think it makes a worthwhile point.

And it also shows old radios etc as interesting objects to a large number of people.

Must be a right ****** to shift, though.

David

Lloyd 1985 · 6th Apr 2016, 1:31 pm

That's art!? My workshop used to look like that most if the time, and I was told it was a mess!

I used to pile up old telly's and power as many up as I could find sockets for... I could have displayed them as modern art!

Regards,
Lloyd.

greenstar · 6th Apr 2016, 3:44 pm

You might just get an arm in through the gaps at the bottom and manage to pinch valves. Might be a bit risky but I bet the only power there is to lamps inside - doubt whether they were restored first! Be nice to be able to get inside and look at them with the backs off.

6th Apr 2016, 4:47 pm

Tracey Emin and her 'unmade bed' spring to mind (what a thought and awful pun) got her a CBE though.

Diabolical Artificer · 7th Apr 2016, 6:48 am

It looks ok, but no idea of the point it's trying to make. No idea how much it cost to build - those packing cases look pricey - I think the money could have been better spent. Won't go into that more, politics.

Still, looks like a nice job, installing "art", better than working at Aldil, it's just play for grownups. Bet it pays better too..

Some contemporary art is pretty good, like the Angel of the North, and some of Banksys' stuff.

Andy.

Radio Wrangler · 7th Apr 2016, 8:25 am

It doesn't look like any of the radios have been harmed. It could just be seen as a novel form of storage. Are the radios all tuned to different off-air signals, or is there a monster array of pantry transmitter in the middle?

If the sets have been 'got at' then I hope it's nothing more than a couple of wires onto the existing speaker and maybe a panel lamp.

The shape has echoes of the Cray-1

The point? I think I got it because I once wondered what it would be like to listen to all of the signals being transmitted, all at the same time... something like 'The Total Perspective Vortex'

If Tracey Emin had done it, the radios would all have been very dirty, tossed around randomly. It would have made the gentle art of radio restoration seem yukky.

Let's be thankful Damien Hirst didn't do it, for then the radios would have been chain-sawed apart and displayed at the bottom of a swimming pool of formaldehyde.

It might have been better done by Antony Gormley. He wouldn't have used real radios, he'd have had thousands of cast-iron replica ones ones made and left outdoors to rust.

Still, it might give Lucien ideas for all that storage shelving...

David

Nuvistor · 7th Apr 2016, 8:36 am

We think that these radios have probably been checked for safety, I don't know but it would not be the first piece of art that is dangerous.
Local gallery installed one with a major trip hazard for those with poor eye sight, not interested when informed. The "B of the Bang" in Manchester were large metal spikes fell off.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/mobile/engla...er/7869372.stm

so who knows with the Tower of Babel.

Frank

Top Cap · 7th Apr 2016, 4:51 pm

Hope they all changed THAT capacitor

robin0577 · 7th Apr 2016, 6:21 pm

Is the resemblance to the top part of Post Office/BT tower deliberate or coincidental do you think?

...or is it entirely in my imagination?

Tractorfan · 8th Apr 2016, 11:01 am

Hi,
A latter day Tower of Babel?
Cheers, Pete.

G8HQP Dave · 8th Apr 2016, 11:38 am

If you went to technical college then a pile of old radios (probably assembled personally by you, as you understand them) is just a pile of old radios (or a mess). You may get criticised for it. You may have to pay someone to take it away.

If you went to art college then a pile of old radios (probably assembled by someone else under your 'supervision', as you don't understand such things) is a piece of installation art. You will get praised for it. Someone may pay you so they can take it away.

Tis a funny old world!

4th Apr 2016, 9:55 pm	#1
Cobaltblue Moderator Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Exeter, Devon and Poole, Dorset UK. Posts: 6,878	Leaning tower of Wireless Apparently seen in the Tate Modern. I have a soft spot for art thanks to Dame Barbara Hepworth and growing up in St Ives. Not sure this counts but it is impressive in scale and execution See this response over on VRAT http://www.forum.radios-tv.co.uk/vie...p?f=17&t=12943 Cheers Mike T Attached Thumbnails __________________ Invisible airwaves crackle with life or at least they used to Mike T BVWS member. www.cossor.co.uk Last edited by Cobaltblue; 4th Apr 2016 at 10:01 pm.

5th Apr 2016, 8:20 am	#2
vinrads Dekatron Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Chesterfield, Derbyshire, UK. Posts: 3,766	Re: Leaning tower of Wireless I want that one at the bottom

5th Apr 2016, 8:48 am	#3
high_vacuum_house Octode Join Date: May 2003 Location: Belper Derbyshire Posts: 1,936	Re: Leaning tower of Wireless Imagine the heat generated turning all those on! Hopefully it doesn't end up like Tim Hunkin's television pyramid all burning down at the end like the secret life of the television!! Christopher Capener __________________ Interests in the collection and restoration of Tefifon players and 405 line television

5th Apr 2016, 7:38 pm	#5
'LIVEWIRE?' Rest in Peace Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: N.W. Oxfordshire(Chipping Norton) Posts: 7,306	Re: Leaning tower of Wireless Seemingly you have to be a member of VRAT, and logged in, to view any content there.

5th Apr 2016, 7:42 pm	#6
ms660 Dekatron Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Cornwall, UK. Posts: 13,454	Re: Leaning tower of Wireless I suppose you could call it the Round Tuit...I'll get m'coat. Lawrence.

5th Apr 2016, 7:47 pm	#7
Cobaltblue Moderator Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Exeter, Devon and Poole, Dorset UK. Posts: 6,878	Re: Leaning tower of Wireless Sorry My Bad I put it in the Lounge which is a members only area. Nuvistor and Stitch added links: http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate...cildo-meireles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmpkMMFCPv8 Vinrads quite clearly wants the one at the bottom Don't we all Cheers Mike T __________________ Invisible airwaves crackle with life or at least they used to Mike T BVWS member. www.cossor.co.uk

5th Apr 2016, 7:49 pm	#8
Cobaltblue Moderator Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Exeter, Devon and Poole, Dorset UK. Posts: 6,878	Re: Leaning tower of Wireless Lawrence I agree don't give up the day job Cheers Mike T __________________ Invisible airwaves crackle with life or at least they used to Mike T BVWS member. www.cossor.co.uk

6th Apr 2016, 11:13 am	#9
slidertogrid Octode Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, UK. Posts: 1,898	Re: Leaning tower of Wireless I can't see Elf and safety allowing someone to power up a load of old valve radio sets without it being made safe.. Whilst they can run the modern transistorised stuff safely enough I can't imagine the valve sets were powered properly? Maybe just a low voltage lamp inside wired to a transformer? Otherwise as others have said they run the risk of the whole lot going up in smoke! Many years ago I saw a Huge "Robot" made out of 1950's French TV sets in a gallery in Paris. All of the sets looked original but close inspection revealed they had all been fitted with modern CRT screens. This was well before the Flat panel sets came out so new CRT sets were still easily available. The strange thing was that having gone to all that trouble none of the sets were on?! The gallery was closed at the time, I just saw it through the window so maybe they just didn't run it unattended? I'm not sure I would consider a great big pile of old stuff as art though? Surely you don't have to be an artist to do this? I could make a great big pile of vintage TV sets if I wanted But would it be art? would it make me an artist? Answers on a post card... Rich. __________________ The rotation of the earth really makes my day...

6th Apr 2016, 11:25 am	#10
Radio Wrangler Moderator Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Fife, Scotland, UK. Posts: 22,902	Re: Leaning tower of Wireless I like it! I also think it makes a worthwhile point. And it also shows old radios etc as interesting objects to a large number of people. Must be a right ****** to shift, though. David __________________ Can't afford the volcanic island yet, but the plans for my monorail and the goons' uniforms are done

6th Apr 2016, 1:31 pm	#11
Lloyd 1985 Nonode Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Coningsby, Lincolnshire, UK. Posts: 2,820	Re: Leaning tower of Wireless That's art!? My workshop used to look like that most if the time, and I was told it was a mess! I used to pile up old telly's and power as many up as I could find sockets for... I could have displayed them as modern art! Regards, Lloyd.

6th Apr 2016, 3:44 pm	#12
greenstar Octode Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Leicester, Leics. UK. Posts: 1,685	Re: Leaning tower of Wireless You might just get an arm in through the gaps at the bottom and manage to pinch valves. Might be a bit risky but I bet the only power there is to lamps inside - doubt whether they were restored first! Be nice to be able to get inside and look at them with the backs off.

6th Apr 2016, 4:47 pm	#13
Guest Guest Posts: n/a	Re: Leaning tower of Wireless Tracey Emin and her 'unmade bed' spring to mind (what a thought and awful pun) got her a CBE though.

7th Apr 2016, 6:48 am	#14
Diabolical Artificer Dekatron Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Sleaford, Lincs. UK. Posts: 7,669	Re: Leaning tower of Wireless It looks ok, but no idea of the point it's trying to make. No idea how much it cost to build - those packing cases look pricey - I think the money could have been better spent. Won't go into that more, politics. Still, looks like a nice job, installing "art", better than working at Aldil, it's just play for grownups. Bet it pays better too.. Some contemporary art is pretty good, like the Angel of the North, and some of Banksys' stuff. Andy. __________________ Curiosity hasn't killed this cat...so far.

7th Apr 2016, 8:25 am	#15
Radio Wrangler Moderator Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Fife, Scotland, UK. Posts: 22,902	Re: Leaning tower of Wireless It doesn't look like any of the radios have been harmed. It could just be seen as a novel form of storage. Are the radios all tuned to different off-air signals, or is there a monster array of pantry transmitter in the middle? If the sets have been 'got at' then I hope it's nothing more than a couple of wires onto the existing speaker and maybe a panel lamp. The shape has echoes of the Cray-1 The point? I think I got it because I once wondered what it would be like to listen to all of the signals being transmitted, all at the same time... something like 'The Total Perspective Vortex' If Tracey Emin had done it, the radios would all have been very dirty, tossed around randomly. It would have made the gentle art of radio restoration seem yukky. Let's be thankful Damien Hirst didn't do it, for then the radios would have been chain-sawed apart and displayed at the bottom of a swimming pool of formaldehyde. It might have been better done by Antony Gormley. He wouldn't have used real radios, he'd have had thousands of cast-iron replica ones ones made and left outdoors to rust. Still, it might give Lucien ideas for all that storage shelving... David __________________ Can't afford the volcanic island yet, but the plans for my monorail and the goons' uniforms are done

7th Apr 2016, 8:36 am	#16
Nuvistor Dekatron Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Wigan, Greater Manchester, UK. Posts: 9,433	Re: Leaning tower of Wireless We think that these radios have probably been checked for safety, I don't know but it would not be the first piece of art that is dangerous. Local gallery installed one with a major trip hazard for those with poor eye sight, not interested when informed. The "B of the Bang" in Manchester were large metal spikes fell off. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/mobile/engla...er/7869372.stm so who knows with the Tower of Babel. Frank

7th Apr 2016, 4:51 pm	#17
Top Cap Octode Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Watford, Hertfordshire, UK. Posts: 1,270	Re: Leaning tower of Wireless Hope they all changed THAT capacitor __________________ Whether the Top Cap is Grid or Anode - touching it will give you a buzz either way!

7th Apr 2016, 6:21 pm	#18
robin0577 Pentode Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: London, UK. Posts: 139	Re: Leaning tower of Wireless Is the resemblance to the top part of Post Office/BT tower deliberate or coincidental do you think? ...or is it entirely in my imagination? __________________ "Broken we can fix, crp is a design issue" Last edited by robin0577; 7th Apr 2016 at 6:27 pm.*

8th Apr 2016, 11:01 am	#19
Tractorfan Dekatron Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: St. Frajou, l'Isle en Dodon, Haute Garonne, France.(Previously: Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, UK.) Posts: 3,184	Re: Leaning tower of Wireless Hi, A latter day Tower of Babel? Cheers, Pete. __________________ "Hello?, Yes, I'm on the train, I might lose the signal soon as we're just going into a tunn..."

8th Apr 2016, 11:38 am	#20
G8HQP Dave Rest in Peace Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Solihull, West Midlands, UK. Posts: 4,872	Re: Leaning tower of Wireless If you went to technical college then a pile of old radios (probably assembled personally by you, as you understand them) is just a pile of old radios (or a mess). You may get criticised for it. You may have to pay someone to take it away. If you went to art college then a pile of old radios (probably assembled by someone else under your 'supervision', as you don't understand such things) is a piece of installation art. You will get praised for it. Someone may pay you so they can take it away. Tis a funny old world!