Ivana Stefanovic
The sounds and noises of the town of Ras, which has been dead and abandoned for hundreds of years, were recorded for this work. The old city of Ras is situated in a part of Ex-Yugoslavia, which nowadays belongs to Serbia. Ras used to be a prosperous town. Many old buildings are a witness to this past. Today Ras is a mere ghost town - destroyed by the consequences of the bloody conflicts between Muslims and Christians. To the very day it is an ignored memorial of a terrifying tragedy going back to the 12th to the 15th centuries, a tragedy which now repeats itself in other parts of the country; thus Ras has become a symbol for destruction, violence and meaningless death.
In this sound sculpture the artist deals with a dramatic event unforgettable for herself and for all those who were involved or witnessed it and who are still alive: one week before war started in Bosnia the inhabitants of Sarajevo tried to stop and prevent the threatening danger for their city through a street concert lasting for three days. For one last time all had come together peacefully: Serbs, Muslims, Croats - and even the sephardic Jews. Since then he latter - like many others - had to leave Bosnia for the safety of other countries, ...
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