24/11/2018
performative lecture
Edka Jarząb
Between the Walls
- For decades, a voice, via radio and loudspeakers, has been commenting on events, naming enemies and calling for a rise to arms; this was the voice that resonated with millions – the voice of the crowd. Pierre Schaeffer calls it acousmatic, the voice that we hear but cannot see its source. Edka Jarząb‘s sphere of interest includes the acousmatic of resistance. The artist explores the phonosphere of public gatherings. During her research in Vilnius, she had the opportunity to observe the protest of urban activists who were opposing the revitalisation of Reformers‘ Park. The focus of their criticism was a plan to cut down healthy trees for purely aesthetic reasons and to fence off the park – which the protesters thought should be accessible to all. Interestingly, instead of a chanting crowd, what Jarząb listened to was a rock concert. The audiosphere of the event resembled more a festival than a protest, which is, after all, supposed to be a form of (audio) interference. The view that the artist encountered was that the protest had come too late. Jarząb is asking: was this not due to a fear that it could have been effective? Do we always keep quiet until it‘s too late? During the lecture the participants will familiarise themselves with the acoustic properties of public spaces as well as the range and power of the voice, and during the workshop they will experience it both together and individually.
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The walls in the tittle consist of two extremes: passivity and violence. Edka Jarząb proposes a common singing/vocal improvisation, in which the collected bodies represent themselves and form the overtone of their presence.
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- A kind of sculpture will be created inside, which can also be brought outside, for example, into the reality of a protest. The performative lecture and workshops will take place after the march of 100 flags, celebrating the centenary of Polish electoral rights. We cordially invite its participants and participants to talk, rest and sing together. We will prepare tea with cake. The artist also invited special guests—the Occupy Guguta Collective from Chisnau/Moldova.
- Photo: Reformers‘ Park in Vilnius
