|Sara Knapik-Szweda, PhD|
On 2 April, Sound Week began with the ‘Sound Walks’ workshops held by Przemysław Scheller, PhD. As a result of the workshops, short musical etudes were created using sounds recorded by participants in the Silesian metropolitan area and at the Academy of Music in Katowice. A joint concert was created from the collected materials, along with visualizations – paintings/photos – in cooperation with Paweł Mędrek, PhD, DLitt and students of the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Katowice – Aleksander Steblik, Paulina Radomska and Anna Rumin.
‘My city of sound’ concer took place on 7 April as the culmination and conclusion of Sound Week. An important aspect of these workshops was the involvement of participants who became creators and discoverers of sounds in various spaces. Depending on the artists’ individual sensitivity, it took form of an objective presentation of the world around us, or a subjective concentration on a selected sounding element. The songs, created from self-made field recordings and then processed using modern sound technologies, were presented accompanied by a visual installation. The workshops were held in three different age ages.
On 3 April, a scientific conference – ‘Sound and its Path’ – was held. It was an interdisciplinary event in which, together with speakers from various parts of Poland and invited guests – prof. Evan Rudd from Norway and Alexandra Ullsten, PhD from Sweden – we looked at sound issues from a sociological, psychological, physical, acoustic, musical and music therapeutic perspective. The lectures were an opportunity for research-related and practical reflections, and it was the beginning of a discussion about sound and its properties. An important part of the conference was the discussion panel ‘Let’s talk about sounds differently’, during which two cultures met – the culture of the deaf and the culture of hearing people. Therefore, the conference had an inclusive dimension and was an opportunity to listen and learn about the opinions and perspectives of a diverse group of participants. The second day ended with two workshops – ‘In search of harmony: cultivating kindness and attentive awareness on stage’ by Maria Chełkowicz–Zacharewicz, PhD and ‘Parents as Nurturing Resources: A Family Integrated Approach to Music Therapy for Neonatal Procedural Support’ by Alexandra Ullsten, PhD.
The next day brought an outdoor event: ‘Sound is among us – exploration of sounds in the community’, in which very different social groups took part. We hosted the Silesian Education and Rehabilitation Center Arteria WTZ as well as students of pedagogical, music and art therapy. As part of Sound Week, the Mobile Music Center was located on the Market Square in Katowice – a mobile and outdoor music stage run by the Nordoff Robbins Poland Foundation. A group of music therapists have been inviting participants to spontaneously play, sing and dance to music. A wide selection of instruments and songs of various styles allowed players to find the right place for themselves in the band. It was a social exploration of sounds outdoors, in the heart of Katowice. Alexandra Ullsten, PhD participated in music therapy sessions conducted by Sara Knapik-Szweda, PhD.
The third day of Sound Week ended with a concert of the Bytom Singing Collective promoting the culture and tradition of songs from Poland and Ukraine. Thanks to workshops for thirty people, the singers promoted the ideas of traditional singing. The last event on Thursday was a visit to the Silesian Opera in Bytom, during which participants could learn about the history of the building and its transformations over recent years. As part of the event, participants could look behind the scenes of the Bytom theatre and learn how the sets and costumes for performances are created.
The fourth day of Sound Week began with the workshops ‘Sound is for everyone. Music therapy workshops at the Community Self-Help Home for People with Mental Disorders’. The most important goal of this event was to support people with mental disorders and reach people at risk of social exclusion. This time, sound and its properties appeared in specific social groups. The next workshops – ‘Acoustic Self-Care’ for seniors and ‘Sound Self-Care’ for adults were filled with various forms of sound perception – the first using movement and motor visualization, the second using the experience of listening and entering deep relaxation. Friday ended with a vernissage of works created by creators associated with the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Katowice entitled ‘Interferences’ based on the creative attitudes, sensitivities and artistic experiences of people using the broadly understood language of visual arts. The next day ended with a Concert at the Silesian Philharmonic with the participation of the Silesian Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra conducted by Dawid Runtz and soloist Jakub Jakowicz.
The fifth day of the Sound Week ended with workshops for a diverse group – ‘Weekend meeting with acoustics – learning and fun’ conducted by Marcin Łaciak, PhD and Aneta Szczygielska-Łaciak, PhD for families with children. They built simple instruments and explored various sounds and acoustic possibilities of sounds. At the same time, Sara Knapik-Szweda, PhD held workshops ‘Expressive forms to prevent burnout’ for teachers, therapists and lecturers, during which she showed creative and expressive strategies for coping with stress, preventing the symptoms of burnout. Saturday ended with a relaxation concert ‘Zoja Mikhailova’s relaxation concert Art for human well-being’ co-organized with the Soundspace Foundation, whose main goal is to create platforms for cooperation between creative communities and to popularise visual and sound culture.
The last day brought an unprecedented musical and visual effect – the ‘My City of Sound’ Concert. The basis of the concert programme were compositions created by participants of Tuesday and Wednesday workshops held by Przemysław Scheller, PhD during Sound Week. Electroacoustic compositions by composers associated with the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice served as a counterpoint to the work of the Residents of the City of Science. Visual proposals for the presented works were created by artists associated with the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Katowice, with lead of Paweł Mędrek, PhD, DLitt. The concert was conducted by Agnieszka Nowok-Zych, PhD and gathered a wide audience at the Silesian Philharmonic.
Realted content
Sound Week in the City of Science website
‘Sounds – a starting point for music therapy and… understanding quantum entanglement’ – article on research carried out by Silesian scientists
