Vojin Ivkov was interested in the activities of the villagers, he explored the musical culture in the community and the relationship between the modern and the ancient, the young and the old. Vojin worked with a community of children, as well as with a community of elderly women in Slon, which had as a common element the song. The final product of residency, a video art/short movie called Elephant songs. “Slon” in Serbian language means “elephant”. Through the songs of children and elderly women from the village, exploring the relationship between young and old, Vojin created the portrait of a village, with its daily activities, and of the people that are living here.
ARTWORK
ELEPHANT SONGS
Vojin Ivkov (Serbia, 1983)
Elephant Song, 2018
Video
14’27’’
Vojin Ivkov is a serbian documentarian and photographer and his attention focuses mainly on topical present issues, addressing mainly on groups of people. In Slon, which is a small village, with a community of simple local people respecting the old traditions but trying to connect to the new realities of our contemporary world as well, the artist was struck by the large number of children. The search for a common thread to unite different generations led Ivkov to form a bond with the children and old women of the village, discovering that this bond, this common element, was created through popular songs. During his residency with META Cultural Foundation Ivkov filmed a short documentary video, on old people and children during daily activities while performing “Elephant Song”, since “Slon” means “Elephant” in the artist’s native language. The artist through his eye portrayed the spirit of the village.
