The Ivan Mateti? Ronjgov Institution carried out a competition in which authors were requested to explore the manners in which the traditional music and the Istrian scale can be presented in public spaces in a modern way.
As part of the project “Museums Together”, a Museum Terminal was opened on the premises of Rijeka Airport at the end of May, representing a one-of-a-kind museum project to be featured at an airport. In order to complete the visual concept of the airport space with the presentation of the musical heritage of this region, tenders were invited in September for the acoustic design of the space of the passenger terminal of the Rijeka Airport. The “Museums Together” project was started by the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County two years ago with the aim of promoting museum contents and cultural heritage, and for the purpose of empowering Rijeka in its candidacy for the Croatian representative of the European Capital of Culture 2020.
Photo: Filip Koludrovi?
Seven musical ideas by domestic authors were applied to the competition, while many foreign authors also expressed interest in composing ambient music according to the motifs of the Istrian scale. In cooperation with Daniela Urem, head of the Unicult2020 programme of the University of Rijeka, and the Music Tech Fest festival of innovations in music in London, whose Director is Michela Magaš from Rijeka, the competition was forwarded to the addresses of 4,000 innovative musicians from all over the world.
104 of them expressed interest and sent inquiries. 32 concept designs were submitted, out of which the festival management selected 8 projects that, along with the designs by domestic authors, were considered by the tender commission of the Ivan Mateti? Ronjgov Institution.
The tender commission consisted of Darko ?argonja, Dijana Grubiši?, and Andrej Baša, who selected the best concept designs. The first place and an opportunity to create the acoustic design of the entire passenger terminal of the Rijeka Airport were given to Aleksandar Valen?i?. The international work “Interactive Sound Field” by Swedish producer Håkan Lidbo in cooperation with Coldcut and Jack James won second place, while the work of Sandi Bratonja won third.
The Ivan Mateti? Ronjgov Institution and the winning candidate will enter into a contract on the development of audio content in the duration of 6 hours, and the Institution will purchase all the copyrights. All three works will also receive prize money.
Considering the great interest of foreign authors and their somewhat different approach, the representatives of Music Tech Fest, as international partners of the award, in agreement with the Primorje-Gorski kotar County, the initiator of the entire campaign, decided to separately award the experimental artist Scanner (Robin Rimbaud) for his six-hour composition of generative music titled “Water Drops”.
The promotion of the installed works is expected in summer 2016, and foreign artists will be invited to Rijeka to work on projects with local musicians.
