The Architecture of Radio

Richard Vijgen, an artist and designer, created an augmented reality app that visualizes the normally invisible landscape of radio waves surrounding us at every moment. Through his presentation, we see the electromagnetic spectrum made visible: cellular signals, WiFi networks, GPS satellites, broadcast towers, all rendered as flowing streams of light and data in the space around us. The project reveals the density of the infosphere we inhabit, transforming our perception of seemingly empty air into something rich with communication and information.

The talk raises important questions about visibility, infrastructure, and technology’s relationship to space. We live immersed in an electromagnetic environment we cannot directly sense, yet which fundamentally shapes how we work, communicate, and navigate the world. Vijgen’s visualization makes this dependence visceral, showing how every device we carry constantly reaches out to invisible networks. The beauty of his visualizations serves a deeper purpose: making us conscious of systems we take for granted and prompting questions about privacy, health, and the transformation of public and private space.

For designers, technologists, and anyone interested in how we represent and understand complex systems, Vijgen’s work demonstrates the power of data visualization to shift perception. By giving form to the formless, he creates what he calls “a new form of literacy” for the technological systems we depend on. The talk is a reminder that design is not just about aesthetics but about making meaning, creating interfaces between human perception and the increasingly abstract technological substrates of modern life.