From December 12-14, 2025, the second edition of TACTUS Radio Festival took place in San Marino in the format of a Bauhaus.Listening.Workshop. Organized by Usmaradio, was curated by an international team including Prof. Nathalie Singer (Bauhaus-Universität Weimar), Andrea Borgnino (RaiPlay Sound), Roberto Paci Dalò (Usmaradio), and Elisabeth Zimmermann (Kunstradio / ORF).

Thematic Focus

Under the title “Radio di guerra, radio di pace” (Radio of War, Radio of Peace), the festival examined the ambivalence of the radio medium — both as an instrument of political power and propaganda and as a tool of resistance. Against the backdrop of the shutdown of FM signals in Europe and the transition to DAB+ and podcasts, TACTUS questioned how analog frequencies might be reactivated for alternative, community-oriented, and creative uses. The three-day event combined lectures with a practical listening workshop and performances:

Program Highlights

Experimental Prototyping: Nathalie Singer led listening exercises (dyads, blind walk) as well as an “Open Lab” (World Café), in which prototypes for a “Radio of the Future” were developed. The focus was on radio as a medium of listening.

Sonic Explorations: The duo L’Impero della Luce conducted electromagnetic soundwalks and “Blind Walks” through San Marino.

Discursive Inputs: International guests and curators provided key impulses on the theme “Radio of War / Radio of Peace.” Maurine Mercier presented “Carnets d’Ukraine,” while Andrea Borgnino introduced new perspectives on AI-supported radio formats through RaiPlay Sound and KIWI.

Partners and Production

The festival was a collaborative project between Usmaradio (Centre for Radiophonic Studies, San Marino), ORF Kunstradio, the Chair of Experimental Radio, and the Real.Sense.Lab at Bauhaus-Universität Weimar. It was produced by the University of the Republic of San Marino (UNIRSM) with the support of RaiPlay Sound and the State Secretariats of San Marino.