Fragment of an audiowalk in The Hague, which explores the connection between sound and commemoration. Here, the composition centers around the interplay of two voices: the vocalist and the witness. The score for the vocalist was created using field recordings of industrial machines, which the voice imitates. These sounds, while not human in origin, evoke “emotionality” and serve as a metaphor for the experience of war. The presence of weapons and technology plays a significant role in war, but it is fundamentally a manifestation of human experience.
The voice of the witness describes the experience of war in terms of sound. In the film industry, the sounds of explosions and war have become familiar to everyone. While working on this composition, the challenge was to share the experience without turning the witness’s story into entertainment content.

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Originally from Kyiv, Ukraine, Anna Khvyl is a sound artist, composer, and researcher. She investigates the interactions between sound and commemoration, contemplating how music provides space for both social bonding and individual self-exploration. Khvyl graduated from the Royal Conservatory of The Hague at the Institute of Sonology, where she currently continues her work as a research associate. Her work includes releases, sound installations, audio-visual compositions, multichannel live performances, audiowalks, radio shows, film scoring, sonic identity.
annakhvyl.com

Composing, recording, editing, and mixing: Anna Khvyl
Script: Anna Khvyl, with the support of Piotr Armianovski
Voices: Anna Khvyl, Olesia Onykiienko, Kristin Norderval
Mastering: Mihai Balabaș