Overview of Audio Flux
This episode of 99% Invisible (host Roman Mars) spotlights AudioFlux — a short-form audio project co-created by Julie Shapiro and John DeLore that commissions, curates and publishes three-minute documentary/experimental audio pieces called “fluxworks.” AudioFlux runs two circuits a year with rotating creative partners and prompts, debuts work live, accepts open submissions, and now publishes a short podcast feed. The series has been recognized (The New Yorker named it one of the best podcasts of 2025) and aims to revive creative, concise audio storytelling in the podcasting era.
How AudioFlux works
- Format: Each “fluxwork” = 3 minutes (intentional: inviting, song-like, repeatable).
- Cadence: Two circuits per year.
- Structure per circuit:
- A creative partner helps design the theme and prompts (illustrator, artist, writer, etc.).
- The team commissions four pieces from invited producers.
- An open call invites public submissions; winners are selected.
- Commissioned pieces debut at a live event (community listening), then are published online/podcast.
- Scale so far: Six circuits produced, 300+ fluxworks created.
- Podcast: AudioFlux podcast (host Amy Pearl) runs short episodes (~10–20 minutes) featuring and contextualizing fluxworks.
Featured fluxworks (played/discussed in the episode)
- The Sound of Silence — Gregory Warner
- Personal meditation on the mysterious tones his wife experienced during the pandemic; explores tinnitus as “the brain’s refusal to let go of what it once had.” Uses intimate narration and biological context to reframe the tone as both symptom and quiet place.
- In Between Silence — Talia Augustidis
- A sonic portrait of everyday sound in Gaza, focusing on the omnipresent buzzing of drones (“Zanana”) and the psychological weight of pauses between strikes. Evokes how silence itself can be foreboding.
- The Ghost on Side B — Caitlin Hale Wood & Alan Gifinski
- A discovery narrative: a teenage girl accidentally discovers her deceased father’s voice on the B-side of a cassette. The piece treats recorded radio as a portal—“a sonic axis of time and place”—and blends wonder, grief and family history.
- First Words — Peter Langston
- A time-lapse around a child’s early language development. Evokes parental impatience and wonder as syllables turn into words, culminating in emotional payoff.
- Red Card — Vivian Schutz & Laura Rojas-Aponte
- Documents a community printmaker’s project producing small red “know-your-rights” cards for undocumented New Yorkers. The piece juxtaposes the power of spoken/printed rights with their fragility in the face of enforcement.
Themes & creative prompts
- Rotating creative partners set prompts (examples: include a repetitive sound, choose a color, “listening with” the world).
- Prompts encourage constraint-driven creativity: short duration, a specific sonic or conceptual element, and a theme (e.g., letting go; firsts; listening with; creative tension).
- The constraints (and the live debut format) emphasize craft, immediacy and variety across styles and forms.
Impact and significance
- Re-centers short-form audio as a creative space, countering the trend toward ever-longer shows and ad-heavy formats.
- Gives both newcomers and established producers opportunities to experiment (e.g., allowing experienced storytellers to reveal different sides of their work).
- Encourages community-building via live listening events and open calls.
- Demonstrates how concise storytelling can deliver emotional, documentary and political power.
Notable quotes (select)
- “Tinnitus is the sound of the brain’s refusal to let go of what it once had.”
- “A sonic axis of time and place.”
- “Rights not used are rights lost.” (evoked through the power of reciting/reading rights on the red cards)
- “Three-minute pop songs are very popular — these fluxworks almost end up being like songs.”
How to listen / participate
- Listen: AudioFlux has a podcast feed (short episodes) and publishes fluxworks online.
- Participate: Two circuits per year; open call announced on the AudioFlux website and email list. (Episode notes: next circuit launching at the end of February.)
- Visit the AudioFlux website and sign up for their email list to get prompts and submission info.
Recommended next steps (for listeners)
- Listen to the specific fluxworks named in this episode for a quick primer on the project’s range (especially The Sound of Silence; The Ghost on Side B; Red Card).
- If you’re an audio creator: try making a three-minute fluxwork to practice constraints-driven storytelling.
- Subscribe to the AudioFlux podcast and sign up for the email list to catch open calls and live debut events.
This summary captures the episode’s core: what AudioFlux is, how it operates, why short-form audio matters, and representative fluxworks that demonstrate the project’s emotional and political range.