Rave of the Ritualesque

Rave of the Ritualesuqe was a week-long workshop and free party to examine the political potential and creative collectivism of rave culture. Hosted by Meta Media Association in partnership with the Department of Visual Communications (UMAS) and with Design students from across Europe. The workshop and audio-visual performance focused on the radical history of rave(ing) as part of the struggle for rights and freedoms outside of the increased privatisation and individualization of society. The workshop referenced the history of industrial music and its relationship to work, from Detroit Techno and the collapse of the U.S auto industry to Throbbing Gristle who used exaggerated sounds from working environments to agitate and confront industrial decline in 70s Britain. Asking participants to reimagine past industrial music to frame Pula’s contemporary service industry landscape we used listening activism, field work, public engagement and multimedia performance to explore how rave can become an enactment of a common struggle. PWT identified key locations within Pula that have become symbolic of the region's economic transformation; its history of being a key industrial hub, such as the Uljanik Shipyard, its demise, loss of jobs and emergent service based economy supported by precarious seasonal employment. Participants were asked: ‘What does hospitality sound like’ and were sent out into the city to make field recordings and gather diverse sounds as a way to confront the contradictions and complexities this question contains. Through an intensive production process, participants learnt how to use hardware samplers, modular synth effects and digital editing software in order to construct sonic social documents in the form of rave music. Performances were then designed around foley sounds made from found objects which were woven into field recordings and interviews alongside dance music samples, creating a live theatrical experience at Club Kotać engaging with the city, its hospitality and labour history