Production: SSR/RSI
Authors: Flavio Stroppini and Andrea Manzoni
Producer: Francesca Giorzi
Director: Flavio Stroppini
Sound engineers: William Geroli (sound designer) and Thomas Chiesa (post production)
Other key staff: Daniele Ornatelli (actor)
Synopsis:
On the morning of April 19, 1943, Albert Hofmann synthesized LSD. At 5 PM he began to feel intoxicated and decided to cycle home. During that now famous ride, the symptoms became much more evident. His "first trip" is an opportunity to tell the story of the unstable era in which we live. Alarms blare. Our planet pitches, stumbles, crumbles, sinks. What time will the end of the world be? According to the "Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists" of the University of Chicago, which since 1947 has been trying to understand how close humanity is to destroying the planet with its technologies, we are 89 seconds from the Apocalypse.
For the protagonist of "RADIO LSD - Albert Hofmann's trip," the Apocalypse has already arrived. He finds himself alone, with his memories, his fears, and his hopes in a bunker. No signal from the world he knew except for the intermittent interferences of a particular radio station. RADIO LSD is a work that tells a journey within ourselves and into the world we live in. It is a cry to warn that our world is sinking.
The Project On the occasion of Albert Hofmann's 120th birthday, the famous Swiss chemist who first synthesized LSD, the Audiofiction department of Swiss Radio and Television presents the binaural Audio Fiction "RADIO LSD - Albert Hofmann's trip," the result of an artistic residency by the creative team at Opos (a prestigious experimental cultural center in Milan, located in a factory in the Bovisa District). The various industrial spaces became the acoustic settings in which to build the story. Basements, stairwells, machine rooms, the various atriums, the kitchen, and corridors are the places where "Radio LSD" was recorded. Supporting the narrative, in addition to the music, are "field recordings," old “sound effects” vinyl records, and magnetic tapes.
"RADIO LSD - Albert Hofmann's trip" was also presented in a live show at Opos on December 5, 2025.
