Sound practices of commemoration in public space

The subject of this study is the sound content of the commemorative event "Return of Names," in which vocal sound production revitalizes memory of the difficult past of the Soviet era in the public sphere. The author emphasizes that the performativity of the event itself serves as a fundamental semantic component, qualitatively distinguishing the ritual of commemoration from passive forms of understanding the past. Among the specific properties of the performative practice of commemoration, the following are noted: active engagement with the reconstructed past, plasticity and sensitivity to contextual changes, ritualized structure and regulation, as well as the involvement and personal responsibility of participants. The aim of this work is to explicate the role that sound plays in the reactivation and preservation of collective memory within the framework of public ritual, and to identify the characteristics of the auditory medium that influence our relationships with the past. The methodological framework of the study is presented through a philosophical-cultural analysis of the acoustic material, allowing for an examination of the essence of the sound phenomenon of the commemorative action as a product of the intersection of various philosophical concepts in the context of transformations of social reality. Based on the analysis conducted, the author identifies the characteristics of sound as one of the central elements of commemoration practices. Firstly, sound in commemorative practices is deeply woven into the contextual conditions of its reproduction, where the fullness of meaning claimed by the event is revealed. Secondly, thanks to the voice as a bodily instrument of sound production, which physiologically unites the participants in the action, the commemorative experience takes on a more engaged character. Thirdly, the sound concentrated in the voice that utters a name becomes a tool for de-anonymization, giving memory of the victim a personified auditory embodiment. Fourthly, the ritualized nature of conducting the event, of which regulated sound filling is an integral attribute, serves as a platform for symbolic inclusion in a group that shares a common acoustic experience. Fifthly, by examining the location of sound complexes in public space, one can determine the position of the social group reproducing them on the socio-political arena. Sixthly, the fleeting nature of sound contributes to the subversive potential of the auditory medium, transforming it into a weapon for resisting mechanisms of memory suppression. The author concludes that sound in commemorative practice not only reminds us of the past but also allows us to symbolically experience the recreated experience, feeling a sense of participation in it through collective public actions.

collective memory, commemorative practice, sound, civic action, soundscape, Stalinist repressions, trauma, Return of Names, silence, sound image