sound art series based on the poetry collection "Stories Untold"

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people were falling in the streets
shivering in agony, for what they saw would hit them
like a bolt, scalding them from within,
the Great War was now inside them

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I am buried
with you, and the others
in the trenches of shame, all piled up
& covered with sickening laughter.
Our eyeballs are rubbed with injustices,
ears deafen by rumble of terror,
hearts numbed with trepidation,
limbs soaked in repugnant lies,
minds bleached by virtual ordure.
They murder, they rape, they rob.
They bury. Me, you,
and the others.
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this 21-minute long sound work is a forest tale about war, re-imagined from the perspective of the land that witnessed centuries of socio-cultural turmoil. tamed nature versus wilderness, contaminated versus protected land, the Iron Curtain belt saw some significant changes – from being a brutal barrier between East and West strewn with mine fields, to becoming a highly protected European natural heritage.

the somewhat tense, suffocating and dark-sounding atmosphere of this piece reflects my feelings on possible relations between former and present conflicts, and alludes to the harsh consequences necro-politics of the past are imposing on contemporary society.

the stunning forest microbiome researched in this work is now part of the European Green Belt, formerly the Iron Curtain borderlands between Austria and Czech Republic. 

released September 14, 2023

sounds gathered during SHAPE+ musikprotokoll residency, July 2023, kindly hosted by Kulturzentrum – Garage Druzba, Harrachstal.

all sounds recorded, edited & composed by Manja Ristić
hydrophone built by Jez riley French
mastering La Plant Studio

Bandcamp

for what they saw would hit them like a bolt

Music,
centered on dance but I made the circle very,
very wide, from everywhere, for everyone.
Enjoy.
...

2024/03/20:
My linux won't boot so I'm presently forced to use Windows, and because of the bug in Soundcloud's system my account is all messed up when I don't use a VPN to connect which I am unable to do now... trying to get help from my VPN provider.  Because of this, and because I started working very long days I will be less present here.  Sorry, I'm trying.

2024/02/22:
Hi,
"Tracks: 0" is wrong, it should read 40.
Ever since the closing of this account by error by SC two or three months ago, this problem has remained unfixed.  Soundcloud and their AI are apparently still working on solving this and other problems with this account, and with my other account ; )

2024/01/29:
What I wrote below was heart felt but presumptuous and pretentious.  I would have to not be stupid myself to be allowed to claim such a thing.  More importantly though, I don't believe it is correct or accurate.  These people are probably not stupid but just don't care.  Justice is a collective thing and many if not most people seem to live in bubbles.  It is perhaps economic oppression which is responsible, they just don't have the resources, the time, the energy to be concerned about what lies behond that bubble.  It used to be fine but there's this thing they call globalization which makes this increasingly impractical or impossible.

mid January 2024:
Justice and vengeance are not the same.  Apparently most people are too stupid to see the difference.  Unfortunately it is not something unique to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and not unique to group conflicts.

What happened to intelligence?  Aren't we supposed to be the "intelligent" specie.
...

Here's the other account, for celebrities, ... this one here is for regular folks:

https://soundcloud.com/ha-kekong

I love you.

...

You can't see it because of the angle with which I took the shot, aiming down, but beyond those blocks is the sea.  To the left is the Mediterranean, to the right is the Atlantic Ocean.  No it's not Gibraltar, but a little bit further West.
...

My face and the bike are a courtesy of Joël Vaudreuil
[https://vimeo.com/user8897093]  ... Merci Joe!
I then went ahead and butchered his work with a borrowed helmet.
... Sorry Joe. =(
...

I'm trying to promote what I think is good music, so if you want to help out a bit I'd rather you [like] or [repost] my *playlists* rather than my field recordings, if you don't mind, unless you are a die hard fan of those things. Thank you ; )

I speak French, so if you send me a private message, and that you are a francophone, please write in French, thank you.  ... I mean, you don't absolutely have to, but I would prefer it. 

All my field recordings (except for when I record a person) are public, freely downloadable by anyone who is able to click on the button.  I encourage anyone interested to use them in any way whatsoever, on purpose or accidentally. No need for permissions or credits or any other kind  of administrative maneuvers.
...

Anarchists give me hope.

I'm a big fan of EFF.  Love ya EFF.  (no connection with the above line)
... and of course Richard Stallman and Linux and all the others.  Bless yous.

Now don't be lazy, go find out what it is this "EFF" that I'm talking about.  I'll give you a hint: it has to do with computers.

You have a nice day now.  Hugs & Kisses.

for what they saw would hit them like a bolt

Manja Ristic