Lech bop

"When choosing our sources of inspiration, we allowed ourselves to focus exclusively on the sound of the river. We deliberately chose a very active track, rich in sonic events, in which the river sounds like a veritable orchestra. We spent hours listening to this natural improvisation, searching for melodic and rhythmic tendencies in the apparent chaos, as well as evidence of the interaction between different elements. We tried to imagine how these sounds might have influenced the people living on the banks, generation after generation: their speech, movements, songs and music, psyche and thinking. 

"At the same time, we deliberately refrained from any documentary references—historical, ethnographic, ecological, etc.—preferring to let the psyche float freely and see what emerges. 

"Of course, there was a great temptation to employ a multitude of instruments, both arguing and supporting each other, but ultimately we decided to limit ourselves to just three (counting the drum kit as one) in order to preserve the ability to closely observe their behaviour. And the river itself remains as the orchestra, in which three seemingly familiar elements perform unimaginable somersaults. As you watch them, try to imagine yourself in the shoes of people whose entire lives are defined by such a soundscape. 

"Not a smooth, soothing pink noise woven from millions of equivalent elements, but a dispute, a clash, and at the same time a long, incomprehensibly long, joint activity of active characters."

Section of the river Lech reimagined by Bayun the Cat and Valentin Doychinov. 

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Flow is a creative exploration telling the story of a river through the power of sound. The project is a collaboration between the University of Padova and the University of Würzburg, with support from Cities and Memory. Explore the full project at https://citiesandmemory.com/flow.