Rites of passage
In folk culture, rites of passage were associated with breakthrough moments in human life and were supposed to emphasize their symbolic meaning and sublime character. The rites played an important role and accompanied the stage of a specific change, the transition from one state to another. Most often, these moments were associated with various types of ceremonies as a sacred act. An inseparable element were the songs that were supposed to lead a man through the various phases of the ritual. It resulted from mysticism, conjuring reality so that the person in the process of "transition" was safe and protected.
The project focuses on researching the musical tradition of the Polish countryside, mainly in terms of rituals and songs related to them. In the footsteps of Oskar Kolberg, I visited musicians who still remember these customs, or how they collect and pass them on. My search took me mainly to the Lublin region and Lower Silesia, where I recorded performances of music from past generations and stories about tradition, feelings and emotions. My story revolves around the three basic rites of passage present in human life, which are birth, wedding and death.
The exhibition was opened by a concert during which a cycle of three songs was performed on; soprano, piano, bass clarinet, guitar and ceramic sound installations.
composition and voice: Alicja Turowska
bass clarinet: Marek Zjawin
piano: Natalia Cichon
classical guitar: Karol Wozniak
ceramic sound installations: Michał Kram
ceremonial objects: Anna M. Krycia
photos: Alicja Kielan
sound engineer: Tomasz Wajs
video: Karuzela się kręci
Individual exhibition, project carried out as part of the scholarship of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage.
Communing with sound as a mystical practice. Ritual songs accompanying the rites of passage.
Conversations with three women, during which each of them talks about folk songs and rites of passage from their own, individual perspective.
The film features; Janina Pydo, Kasia Pakosa, Olga Chojak
video and montage: A. M. Krycia
Artbook
Editorial : Rozalia Radecka
Cover art: Dopiletero
The publication is a record of the process of exploration in the form of photographic notes, recorded stories of tradition, and songs that I collected during my travels in Roztocze and Lower Silesia.
I also included in the book some quotes that were important to me, about which I felt they conveyed the meaning of my work.
