Time Based: Sonic Interventions
Ahead of their forthcoming collaboration at Sonic Interventions this month, we catch up with Ukraine's Alice Haspyd and Scotland's Genevieve Murphy to find out more
“Ukraine suffers difficult times of depression at the level of millions of people. Art, music disappears. Producers who we recognise in the world are going to war. We need to continue to support the scene in Ukraine as long as possible.”
These are the words of Alice Haspyd, an experimental artist from Ukraine whose audiovisual work has been on show at festivals and galleries across Europe. Like all Ukrainians, her life and artistic practice is in a state of constant flux due to the ongoing Russian war in Ukraine. As this piece is written, Haspyd’s hometown of Odesa has been the subject of yet another drone strike by Russian forces.
The old cliché of struggle producing good art is not valid when you are paralysed by war. “As Ukrainians, we love to philosophise that we cannot feel the influence of war,” Haspyd writes via email. “But as long as you are here, you are feeling [it]. We feel different, try to smile and see happiness. As for me – the pleasure of silence on quiet days, the onset of spring is a miracle every time, even if the seasons have been going on for years. We all have changed a lot, but this is its beauty and strength. This experience is not [one] to repeat or simulate.”
Her call to action to support artists in Ukraine has been matched in a small way by the upcoming Sonic Interventions, a series of performances and installations of experimental music and sound art that will take place across Glasgow venues in June. The programme was conceived by Olha Bekenshtein, founder of Time Based, an organisation created to promote the work of Ukrainian musicians, sound collagists and artists. The lineup matches UK- and Ukraine-based artists, emphasising collaboration and the importance of cross-cultural exchange. Scottish artist Zoë Irvine has worked with media collective Photinus Studio to map and remix the sonic landscapes and natural habitats of Ukraine and Scotland, while Ukrainian artists and performers Anna Khvyl and Piotr Armianovski will engage slightly differently by leading a ‘sound walk’ ending at the Glasgow Women’s Library.
From discussions with Haspyd and her collaborator for the programme, the classically trained musician and performance artist Genevieve Murphy, what comes out of these impromptu pairings will be the result of the artists’ process together. However, Time Based has emphasised themes of dissent, solidarity and art in the face of aggression. Haspyd and Murphy are still putting together what will be a live performance piece when we speak, a collaboration that has bloomed remotely online, with Haspyd in Ukraine and Murphy between Scotland and the Netherlands.
“I’ve never had an experience like the one Alice is having in Ukraine,” says Murphy. “But I want to find a way to channel what Alice wants to communicate. The thing with music is it can be abstract, and maybe through this collaboration there can be this sort of abstract world that gives the audience a feeling of the complexity of working with somebody that is in a very emotionally profound situation.
“I don't think art can change the world," Murphy continues. "But the opportunity to convey your art can feed your identity. For a Ukrainian artist, maybe war seems like their whole identity just now. Whereas if they can stand there and give their art, they're actually showing they have a voice which is unique to that person. And that helps us to connect even more. That's where empathy starts. Sometimes if you only look at the big picture, people as a mass you put within a certain category, you don't really learn about individuals, and some people don't find the empathy there. But being given an opportunity to learn about a person is a powerful thing [art can provide]. I feel happy that I can share that space.”
The Sonic Interventions programme seems to want to create the connections Haspyd and Murphy mention, but also empower its participants to feel like they are a part of collective action. Geopolitics seems far away from an arts festival though, and it is not something that has been easily afforded to people in other parts of the world, whether that be those afflicted by the Russian war in Ukraine, the civil war in Yemen, or the ongoing genocide of Palestinians by Israel.
In her missive, Haspyd understands that as much solidarity as some in the west may be willing and able to provide, often people experiencing conflict and aggression are, shamefully, left to fend for themselves.
“Music as one of the greatest manifestations of art is the voice of all Ukrainians,” emphasises Haspyd. “We have to choose the right to sing and be on occupied lands. Our music must play there and be our language. If you sit and stagnate the enemy slowly destroys your values and culture. It is a mass struggle at all levels. We have to shout about our freedom because no one will do it for us.”
Genevieve Murphy & Alice Haspyd perform at Civic House, Glasgow, 11 Jun as part of Time Based: Sonic Interventions, which runs across various venues in Glasgow, 11-15 Jun
Time Based: Sonic Interventions is funded by the British Council’s International Collaboration Grants, which are designed to support UK and overseas organisations to collaborate on international arts projects