2004-2005
Running Time 12:45
Radio Prayer documents a United States encountered through footage recorded during two cross-country road trips. Radio broadcasts heard throughout the piece place the viewer in the not-too-distant past of the winter of 2004. At this time, the United States is fully engaged in Iraq and there are widespread concerns over the possibility of terrorist attacks during the Christmas holidays. “Protagonist,” who is seen periodically, continually switches stations, scanning the dial and piecing together meaning from fragments of news, music, and talk radio.
Throughout, Protagonist must navigate a shifting landscape of competing referents — from unabashed consumerism, ubiquitous pop culture, and historical appropriation, to nature’s neutrality toward human endeavors. In spite of the fundamentalist bias and political paranoia promulgated in many of the broadcasts, there is also hope from more sensible voices reaching out through the airwaves.
Rather than a jaundiced eye cast on the country, Radio Prayer is a quest for harmony between man’s cultural imprint and nature’s ineffable presence.