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Touch the Music - Music the Art of the Soul

Department 58 – International Relations
Department 58 – International Relations

Published

Project
RegionSouth Bohemian Region
Title of the ProgrammeCultural Heritage and Contemporary Art - programme area no. 17
Title of the ProjectTouch the Music - Music the Art of the Soul
Project Website

http://www.touchthemusic.cz/en/

Number of the ProjectČíslo projektu
Project Promoter

INCOGNITI o.s.

http://www.touchthemusic.cz/en/

Name of Norwegian Partner(s)

Tou Scene AS

Name of Local Partner(s)

Filmová akademie Miroslava Ondříčka v Písku o.p.s
Jihočeská komorní filharmonie České Budějovice
Jihočeské divadlo, p.o.
Sladovna Písek o.p.s.

Objective of the Project

The project "Touch the Music - Music The Art of the Soul" is based on the idea of the authors that music is the universal language of humankind, which knows no boundaries and that music has enormous potential to connect. This unifying element is the main theme of the project.

The project aims to organize a multi-day international music festival in co-production with the Norwegian partner Tou Scene AS and other partners and a 'mini-festival "in Stavanger, Norway. These main activities of the project will be followed by accompanying events such as "Festival Echoes".

The project concept is based on a non-traditional approach, which focuses on the active participation of the audience and the public in the events of the festival, which aims to show music, sound and music creation itself from different angles (its origin, meaning and creating unusual sounds, use of materials and tools), particularly the production of non-traditional musical instruments.

The project is unique and unparalleled in Europe.

The participation of the Norwegian partner and other international artists represents the multidimensional perspective of the concept of the festival, with the central idea of music as a primary form of human communication and creative expression. The purpose of the project is to awaken the visitor's imagination to the idea of creating their own music without restrictions and rules. The music here does not represent only background music, but above all creative activity, a form of relaxation including a therapeutic element, and more.

An important aspect of the project is also to have a public space where the festival will take place, so it will mingle with the local community and social events of the city. The project aims to give visitors the chance to return to the original sense of music - from passive consumer to active creation (playfulness, creativity, belonging to a group etc.), and therefore wants to peacefully engage participants, to lightly open a door to their own creativity.

The festival program will produce music on unusual instruments, which should assess and enhance the existing knowledge in the field of music, new art forms and structures. One of the outcomes of the project will be a "play park" where these unusual instruments will be installed, the original artwork created for the realization of the festival.

Another dimension of communication and international connections to ensure the public space concept is the "virtual window" into the partner country. The windows will be in operation during the festival, as well as before it starts, directly at the site of the Czech festival, and on the partner site, and thus will constitute a symbolic bridge that enhances the main idea of the festival - music connects. The main summer festival will have two levels.

On the first level the festival will bring together music groups and artists who will engage in play with unconventional instruments or their own productions, and who will be able to introduce them to a wide audience and to show the different possibilities of music production. These will include such instrument tools that aren`t normally associated with music, in the sense - "we can play on anything." These productions should always represent the culmination of a full day of activities.

The second level of the festival itself will involve the public in making music and sounds, through specific workshops and in the "play park", where there will be different unconventional instrument tools freely accessible, and where the visitors will be able to experiment for themselves. In the spirit of the main ideas of "music as an universal language of humankind and music connects people" involved in the project, the Norwegian partner’s participation is a concrete materialization of these principles.

The authors of the project designed the entire project so that in addition to the main summer festival a basically mirror minor event will also be held by a Norwegian partner and which will be co-produced by the partners. The cross-border element is primarily intended to initiate a dialogue between cultural actors and citizens about the creative and transformational potential of music and at the same time strengthen cultural dialogue and European identity in its cultural diversity. The complete integration of these activities with a partner will be enhanced by installing "virtual windows".

 

Approved grant

3 260 920 CZK

Project DurationStart date: 7th May 2015, End date: 30th April 2016