Shortwave Collective is an international, feminist artist group established in May 2020. We meet regularly to consider feminist concerns within amateur radio and experiment with the radio spectrum as artistic material. We share resources, consider DIY approaches and inclusive collaboration formats. As an international group with ten members in six countries and three continents, we have till now been working together remotely. In September 2021, we undertook a residency at Buinho Creative Hub, Portugal, where three members participated on-site in the town of Messejana, and others worked alongside us from home. We held daily Zoom meetings to stay in touch as we developed the project. 

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Our week at Buinho focused on innovating with homemade radio receivers. We constructed no-power, low-budget crystal and foxhole radios, using wire, razorblades, scrap cardboard and safety pins, and experimenting with materials and aesthetic designs for these. This work culminated in series of recordings made using the radios, a newly constructed 'how to' guide for publication in MAKE magazine’s spring 2022 print issue and a workshop held with Buinho volunteers.