Visitors to Create Music at New Trakošćan Castle Exhibition

Trakošćan Castle is set to transform into a hub of art, music, and nature with the opening of "INSTRMNTS - through play with music" on July 18. This interactive exhibition by internationally acclaimed Portuguese artist Victor Gama invites visitors to move beyond passive observation and actively engage with a collection of contemporary musical instruments and sound installations.

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In the center of the INSTRMNTS project is the idea that a musical instrument can be much more than a means of creating sound. It can carry memories, imagination, knowledge, and relationships with the natural and cultural worlds from which it originates.

Gama, a renowned innovator and instrument builder whose work has been featured at prestigious venues like the Royal Opera House in London and Carnegie Hall in New York, designed the exhibition to blur the lines between audience and performer. Visitors are encouraged to touch, play, and explore the instruments, many of which are specifically crafted for collaborative music-making. This fosters a unique environment for dialogue, cooperation, and shared musical creation.

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Music does not arise solely from instruments, but also from the relationships they create - between players, between bodies and objects, between sound and space, and between personal imagination and collective creation.

"The idea at the heart of the INSTRMNTS project is that a musical instrument can be much more than a tool for creating sound," Gama explained. "It can carry memories, imagination, knowledge, and relationships with the natural and cultural worlds from which it originates." He emphasizes that audience participation is fundamental, as music arises not just from the instruments but from the relationships they forge, between players, between bodies and objects, and between personal imagination and collective creation.

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The uniqueness of this exhibition lies precisely in the fact that music becomes a means of connection among people. Some of the instruments are designed to be played together, while others create space for dialogue, cooperation, and mutual listening.

Among the unique instruments featured are "Toha," inspired by weaver bird nests; "Uana," designed for four simultaneous players; the "Dialogue Table" for musical conversation; "Dino," a circular installation for eight performers; "Tahra," influenced by tarantulas; and "Acruxon," an interactive installation connecting physical instruments with a virtual environment. Dr. Goranka Horjan, director of the Trakošćan Castle Museum, highlighted the exhibition's potential to foster closeness, connection, and inner peace, especially in an era dominated by technology and fast-paced living.

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In a time when we are often focused on technology and a fast-paced way of life, such an interactive musical experience helps create closeness, a sense of connection, and inner peace.