On October 3,
the program Electroacoustic Music hosted by Marek Kwiatkowski on
EL-Stacja radio aired premiere of my project titled Urbs Memoriarum,
a radio play with electroacoustic music. Urbs Memoriarum is, if I may
put it this way, a hybrid form that combines the traits of a
documentary-style radio play with elements of electroacoustic music
and field recording. Its aim is to capture the memories of Gdańsk’s
seniors in sound - an electroacoustic impression that intertwines the
musical layer with fragments of their own stories, told in their own
voices. How they remember the city of the past, how it changed before
their eyes, which places hold special meaning, and the events tied to
them. The concept evolved significantly during the process. At first,
I envisioned it as a spoken-and-musical form, with many short
statements, each only a few sentences, so that the piece would not
exceed the planned length of about an hour. But as I began recording,
I realized that I couldn’t just cut out fragments and strip them of
their context, of the emotions that build gradually. Each person’s
life and insights are fascinating, and they deserve space and voice.
That’s why in the end, Urbs Memoriarum was built around the stories
of four Gdańsk residents - though at times their narratives extend
beyond the city itself. I recorded each of them in their natural
environment, at home or at work - since some are still professionally
active. That’s why I deliberately left the surrounding sounds in
the background: cars passing outside, voices from nearby offices, a
barking dog, and so on. The whole piece is framed by an imaginary
concert of ship horns, with the sound of the sea and seagulls in the
background. Urbs Memoriarum was created as part of the 2025 Gdańsk
Cultural Scholarship / Creative Fund.
