Names in the air

Cities and Memory - remixing the world

"In my composition, I mixed the sound of an air raid siren in Prague, Czechia; the sound of a metronome as a symbol of time’s relentless march and history’s cyclical nature; two voices: a child repeating after his mother the names of Ukrainian cities; and an old Ukrainian folk song, Grey Goose, sung dramatically by a solo a cappella female voice (Yulia Volovik).
"I chose the air raid siren in Prague because this sound triggers my feelings about the painful facts I have lived with since 2014. How come 1968 and 2014 are connected in my mind? I didn’t reflect enough on the Soviet invasion of Prague in 1968. I was just a little child then, but later, I learned about the eight people (the only eight people in the entire USSR) who were brave and noble enough to protest on Red Square. They became my gods. I later met one of them, Natalia Gorbanevskaya, in Paris, and we stayed in touch for a while. I considered her to be much more human than I was, and I wasn’t able to make friends with her. I regret that.
"In 2014, Russia annexed Crimea. I didn’t live in Russia at the time, but I visited it sometimes. It was shameful to see how many of my former compatriots expressed happiness over this annexation (although "annexation" was a prohibited word; they referred to it as a "reunion"). At the same time, Russia started a war in Eastern Ukraine. It wasn’t the large-scale war we see today, but it was still real. I felt the parallel between 1968 and 2014, so I interviewed my mother to recall her memories of the moment when the USSR Czechoslovakia, and through this, to try to understand why such interventions and annexations could take place. This interview became the voiceover for my experimental film-performance Chronicles on the Laps.
"Later, Russia launched its full-scale invasion, and this war is now in its fourth year. In 2022, I helped Ukrainians who fled the war find homes in another country. This is a devastating, never-ending pain. I can only imagine the anguish of those whose homes were bombed and destroyed, whose loved ones were tortured and killed.
"I hope I have explained my choice of the inspirational heritage recording and how it connects to the work I’ve created."
Air raid siren in Prague reimagined by Rūta Jauška.
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This sound is part of the Sonic Heritage project, exploring the sounds of the world’s most famous sights.
Find out more and explore the whole project: https://www.citiesandmemory.com/heritage