Religious sounds symbolically represent a certain religious ideology, and  their position in the soundscape (eg, audibility, duration, frequency)  reflects the social position of the religion that manages the sound. In the project three public religious sounds are selected to show how their audibility or silence express or provoke social, political and religious relations, dominance, marginalization, aesthetic judgments, as well as  how their position in public space has been negotiated through time: 1. the ringing of church bells, 2. the sound of the Muslim call to prayer, and 3. the sound of the Trans-Universal Zombie Churches of the BlissfulRringing. The results of the research show how public debates around the position of a certain religious sound in a city andthe  actual changes in sonority reflect or challenge current and past social, religious and political situations, as well as question the boundaries between religious, secular, public and private space.

 

1. Calling to mass with all bells of the church of St. John the Baptist, Trnovo, 4. 6. 2015. Recorded by: Mojca Kovačič.
2. Bell chiming in the church of Angels of the Guardians at the occasion of bell chimers meeting, Zalog, 14. 5. 2017. Recorded by: Mojca Kovačič.
3. The Holy Mass of Trans-Universal Zombie Church of the Blissful Ringingin frot of the »corruption temple« (bell ringing and reading of holy thoughts), Trg republike, 7. 5. 2014. Recording obtained with the permission of the church.
4. Ezan in Fužine (recorded by an anonymous person through the sound system), 8. 9. 2012. Published on Youtube.
5. What do citizens think about the ringing of bells (short clips of interviews), 2015. Recorded by: Mojca Kovačič.
6. Ringing of the Church of St. Nicholas and sounds from the Open Kitchen, Pogačarjev trg, 5. 5. 2015. Recorded by: Mojca Kovačič.
7. Ringing with five bells in the Church of Mary of the Assumption at Rakovnik, 13. 10. 2013. Recorded by: Dominik Malovrh.
8. Bell chiming in the church of St. Nicholas, 15. 5. 2016. Recorded by: Mojca Kovačič.
9. The clock chiming and bell ringing of the Church of the Annunciation (Franciscan Church) and the sounds from the street. Prešernov trg, 5. 5. 2015. Recorded by: Mojca Kovačič.

BELL RINGING

The research emphasizes that the perception of ringing among the inhabitants of Ljubljana is strongly socially, culturally and politically conditioned. Media polemics about ringing as a noise often highlights the political history of Slovenia, while ethnographic research shows that the ideological context of ring tone perception among the people in the city is not at the forefront. By decrease in the number of confessional believers, especially Catholics, and due to modern life pace, the functional need for ringing as a vocal or religious reminder has been substantially reduced throughout the daily or life rhythm. On the other hand, ringing “in the ears” of some gained a privileged status (such as Christmas), since even those who are not related to Christianity often understand it as a part of the tradition of their living space, and is as such an acceptable or desirable sound; a sign of tradition, personal, cultural or national identity.

EZAN

Although the ezan in Ljubljana is not yet heard, the announcement of its sounding has already made a great stir among the wider public and political representatives. The question of the possible sound of ezan accompanied with the question of building a mosque or an Islamic religious and cultural center in Ljubljana reveals a number of social, political, ideological and cultural attitudes  towardthe  Muslim community living in the city. Accepting or not receiving a new sound in an existing sound space is one of the indicators of how the different identity communities share  common space. Researches on such questions revealed that the majority perceive Muslims in the light of contemporary socio-political processes (eg. as refugees or representatives of terroristic threat), and simply neglect their historical presence in the common space. On the other hand, the issue about the new sound in the city reflects the general problem of religious sounding in the public, private and secular spaces, and in this it does not differ from the sound of the ringing of church bells.

TRANS-UNIVERSAL ZOMBIE CHURCH OF THE BLISSFUL RINGING

The formation and activities of the Trans-Universal Zombie Church of the Blissful Ringing could be placed in the context of the global phenomena of the s.c. progressive spirituality. This includes individuals and communities that, with their form and expression of religiousness, put themselves in opposition to “traditional” religions, and they challenge and change the moral, social and religious image of a modern Western society. The Trans-Universal Zombie Church of the Blissful Ringing uses a musical instrument – a bell, which is a symbol of the largest religious community in Slovenia, as their highest symbol of worship. The bell in this new context becomes an ideological tool for political, social and religious activism. The Trans-Universal Zombie Church of the Blissful Ringing challenges the sound, social and political privilege of the Roman Catholic Church in the country and draws attention to the legislative anomalies and the current socio-political situation in the country.