Photo by Nebojša Vasić @ Goethe-Institut
by Johan Romme
The Župa Sounds project brings together various participants to explore sound-making, encourage a broader reflection on our understanding of sound, and strengthen existing networks in Savamala. Conceptualized and organized by Johan Romme from the Savamala Place-makers Group, Župa Sounds began with three ‘sound-meetings,’ in different variations, that took place during the group’s stay in Savamala.
October 16 -19 and 25, Ron van den Akker, Julia Suwalski and Johan Romme organized a clay workshop at the Kraljevica Marka 8 studio. The ceramic sculptors, acoustic engineers and audio designers who gathered shared their different backgrounds in sound-making and worked together to create new instruments.
The second meeting, on October 26, led to the naming of the Župa Sounds project and worked in the spirit of Goethe Guerrilla. Participants who visited the Župa boat that day explored its sounds through an interactive installation: every body and movement was subsumed into an integrated sound-image. This experiment led to an understanding of the boat as significant relational sound object.
On the weekend of November 9-10, during the third meeting, new participants joined the groups on the Župa in order to further discuss their different understandings of sound-making. Tessa Zettel presented a visual representation of the relational sound project and Akash Bhatt led a workshop about acting collectively through sound in which everybody was invited to share their skills. He taught them to listen themselves, and the boat, and each other in order to envision how they were a part of a bigger, aural whole.
Župa Sounds was created to empower networks already active in Savamala. The sound exploration contributed to a collective understanding of sound, uniting people around spontaneous sound-making and shared performances.
Collaborating groups and individuals in the project:
The Savamala place-makers, Goethe-Guerilla, students from the Academy of Applied Arts amongst others Iva Milovanovic and Jovan Curcic, sound engineer Draško Mašović from the Faculty of Technical Engineering of the University of Belgrade, and Bojan Nešković, the head of the Audio Department at the SAE Institute Belgrade, and institute students Igor Bogunovic, Tea Gaspar, Andreja Jovovic, Luka Cvorovic, Stefan Simonovic, Vladan Jevtic, Luka Petrovic, Srdjan Popov, Bojana Tomasevic. Vladimir Radinović from Radio NOFM.RS and other Individuals to be mentioned, Arsenije Savic, Antun Gverovic, Zarko Obradovic, Arsenije Savic and Akash Bhatt.
Design for the Living World, HFBK 