AN INTERNATIONAL multi-media project inspired by Ukrainian folklore was recently presented in the eastern-Slovak town of Snina.
“It is called Khroniky and it is an experimental folk opera whose form changes according to the context of the presentation,” Lucia Nimcová, co-author of the project told the TASR newswire. Her collaborator is Scot Sholt Dobie and they drew inspiration from Slovakia’s eastern neighbour.
“We are interested in what contemporary folklore is, and how to capture folk culture as a natural part of life,” Nimcová, who is of Ruthenian origin, explained, adding that “Khroniky came to exist as an attempt to present and retell everyday life in the context of the disputed and unstable situation in Ukraine.”
She added that khroniky is a word for lyrical songs usually created to commemorate unusual events or the death of a particular member of a community.
“I consider it important to record human experience that is repeated, and I try mostly to give voice to women who have become focal narrators with their songs.”
The sound recording has so far been broadcast by one US radio station and is also expected to be offered to listeners in the UK.
The presentation in the town of Snina took place on January 8.