Circuit 04: Firsts

For Circuit 04 we commissioned four works and ran an open call for public submissions. In the end we recived 73 fluxworks from 11 countries. Our creative partner for Circuit 04: Firsts was DC-based author and literary artist, Jason Reynolds. Circuit 04 was supported by Canadaland.

Our Circuit 04 theme (“Firsts”) and prompts were directly inspired by Jason’s writing practice and new novel, Twenty Four Seconds from Now. Each fluxwork:

Runs three minutes long
References an object related to a “FIRST” (theirs or someone else’s)
Includes the sound of time passing (forwards or backwards, no clocks please)
Was accompanied by a handwritten document (i.e. outline, title page, transcript, or something else entirely, provided digitally)

Circuit 04 debuted October 26, 2024, at the RESONATE Podcast Festival in Richmond, VA.

COMMISSIONED WORKS: First Sightings by Catherine Carr (UK), Love Notes by Nichole Hill (US). First/Last/First/Last by Sayre Quevedo (US), Weared Max 2024 by Saleem Reshamwala (US)

CIRCUIT SELECTS: Like Pulling Teeth by Alan Goffinski (US), Hum Honge Kamyab by Radhika Viswanathan and Samyuktha Varma (India), YOU STAY OUT of CHESTER by Todd and Sam Wemmer (US), The Ghost on Side B by Katelyn Hale Wood (US)

FINALISTS: Bloody Panty by Ashrita Achar (India), Pop-Pop’s Mac & Cheese by Rye Dorsey (US), Rodeo by Dennis Gaens (The Netherlands), First Words by Peter Lang-Stanton (US), First Cup by Renée Lobue (US), DNA ASMR by Kristina Loring (US), I am the first. by Maria Cristina Marras (Italy), Auntie by Caitlin Pierce (US), The Paper Route by Elizabeth Quinn and Joseph Blanc (US), Bird Watcher / Word Botcher by David Schulman (US), Māma by Aria Young (US)

Circuit 04 Fluxworks

Julie Shapiro 10/22/24 Julie Shapiro 10/22/24

First Sightings (Catherine Carr)

[Commissioned] What it feels like when the nest is empty for the first time.

Julie Shapiro 10/22/24 Julie Shapiro 10/22/24

Love Notes (Nichole Hill)

[Commissioned] Nichole and her nephew exchange voice notes about a dreamy tradition.

Julie Shapiro 10/22/24 Julie Shapiro 10/22/24

First/Last/First/Last (Sayre Quevedo)

[Commissioned] A diary of quitting smoking told through diaries, featuring French films, head colds, and minute existential crises.

Julie Shapiro 10/22/24 Julie Shapiro 10/22/24

Weared Max 2024 (Saleem Reshamwala)

[Commissioned] A man rediscovers a cassette tape that contains the weird little boy version of his future media self.

Julie Shapiro 10/21/24 Julie Shapiro 10/21/24

Like Pulling Teeth (Alan Goffinski)

[Circuit Select] Alan’s tired mind meanders to the intersection of oral hygiene and grief.

Julie Shapiro 10/21/24 Julie Shapiro 10/21/24

Hum Honge Kamyab (Radhika Viswanathan and Samyuktha Varma)

[Circuit Select] The first time I (Radhika) sang this song, I didn't know it would be the first of many.

Julie Shapiro 10/21/24 Julie Shapiro 10/21/24

YOU STAY OUT of CHESTER (by Todd and Sam Wemmer)

[Circuit Select] Childhood fears come to the surface after the discovery of a letter.

Christine Koh 10/18/24 Christine Koh 10/18/24

The Ghost on Side B (Katelyn Hale Wood with sound design by Alan Goffinski)

[Circuit Select] A teen trying to find herself instead discovers a ghost in the airwaves.