The "School of Sonic Memory" in Athens, Alexandria and Marseille

As part of the “ALEXANDRIA - (Re)activating Common Urban Imaginaries” project, Theatrum Mundi and Onassis Stegi are producing a pluri-disciplinary nomadic residency program exploring sound, memory and trans-Mediterranean resonances called the School for Sonic Memory.

Together, and in collaboration with local artists, urbanists and researchers, six nomadic artists will form a ‘school’ for sonic memory, investigating the ways that three cities across the Mediterranean resonate with one another, and how elements of a connected and conflictual past are made audible within Athens, Alexandria and Marseille.

Athens | 7-13 November 2021

The first stop of the School for Sonic Memory residency programme will be Athens. Six international artists together with four local artists, will have the chance to explore trans-Mediterranean sonic practices, focusing on the history and cultural heritage of Athens.The programme is designed around three central themes: water, mythology and sound and includes an introduction session with the Cavafy Archive of Onassis Foundation, a visit at Communitism, a cultural evening with the Syrian-Greek Youth Forum, as well as a tour of the Hadrian Aqueduct infrastructure that connects different points of central Athens with its suburbs, led by UrbanDig.

Some of the initial questions posed by the School of Sonic Memory that the participants are invited to respond are:

Whether it is possible to identify trans-Mediterranean sonic practices?
What these practices might sound like?
How does the past of one city be heard in another’s sonic culture?
How does the classification as a heritage site affect the overall dynamics of the surrounding urban environment and what are the politics of preservation?

Read more about the first stop of the School for Sonic Memory residency program in Athens at the report by Theatrum Mundi at Alexandria | School for Sonic Memory - Athens 2021 Residency report – Alexandria (alexandria-urban-imaginaries.eu)

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Alexandria | 6-13 February 2022

The nomadic residents will have the chance to further explore the themes of circulation, migration, water, and shared Mediterranean resonances and mythologies in Alexandria, the second stop of the itinerant residency. From listening sessions that explore community radios and iskandarani folk rhythms to an in-depth presentation of the hydraulic system in Alexandria, the artists will get to delve deeper into some of the lesser-known aspects of these Mediterranean routes.

The Alexandria residency is curated by Theatrum Mundi in collaboration with local curator Sarah Bahgat, and produced by B’Sarya art space with the support of the French Institute in Alexandria.

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Marseille | 27 March – 3 April 2022

In Marseille, the last of the three cities, the nomadic residents will deepen the interests sparked in their weeks in Alexandria and Athens. As well as continuing to explore water, along the mostly-hidden Marseille canal and through hydraulic infrastructure of the Greek era, the residents will follow more personal research trajectories through the city’s layers of memory: they will dig into MUCEM’s Centre de Conservation et de Ressources; search alternative local resources such as Mémoires des Séxualités and DATA sound archive; document unique acoustics and cultures. Joined by local residents Zoe le Voyer, Elena Biserna, and Sam Karpienia, they will explore the Out of the Blue Map, enact a score for nocturnal walking, and hear a live performance of traditional Occitan music. On top of this research, a temporary studio by Archipel Community Radio will pop up in Marseille, with an 18-hour broadcast bringing together residents and ideas from all the cities, and streaming live via Berlin, Athens and Marseille.

Participants

Nomadic Residents: Asmaa Jama, Onyeka Igwe, Hatem Hegab, Monai de Paula Antunes, Youmna Saba, Maria Sideri

Local Residents in Athens: Dana Papachristou, Yorgos Samantas, Natassa Dourida, Marilia Kastrouni

Local Residents in Alexandria: Yasmine Hussein, Ahmed Saleh, Mohamed Adel Dessouki,

Local Residents in Marseille: Zoe le Voyer, Elena Biserna, and Sam Karpienia

Theatrum Mundi team: John Bingham-Hall, Andrea Cetrulo and Cecily Chua.

The project “Alexandria: (re)activating common urban imaginaries” (ALEX) aims to take a fresh look at the many challenges faced by the arts and heritage sectors, through the symbolic and historical prism of the city of Alexandria and its influences on urban development in the Mediterranean and beyond. The project is supported by the European Union's Creative Europe program.

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