Oka [Eva Mulej Vrabič],Jaka Bombač

Bodies of Water

Soundwalk

Even before water becomes something we need to protect, it is the stuff of dreams. This soundwalk begins with the awareness that we ourselves are bodies of water and that our responsibility to water is deeply connected to how we remember and imagine the world. Water, as an element, becomes a material conduit for our imagination and an extension of our connective tissues.

We draw on the works of Gaston Bachelard and Ivan Illich, thinkers deeply engaged with water, who argued that imagination is not merely the ability to form mental images but an embodied capacity that enables creative coexistence with the world. Bachelard describes water as the “eye of the world”—not only because it reflects the sky, but because its depths hold fragments of the past; deep water is a silent memory, an embodied symbol of how the past continually inhabits the present.

Our journey moves from clear, lively spring and river waters to heavier, dormant and dead waters. We walk among songs, verses and images, navigating the temporalities of different bodies of water – from surface currents to the riverbed depths; from the river of forgetfulness to the lake of memories. In an era of constant flow – of information, people, currencies and traffic – while navigating the rapids of time, we will build a temporary harbour at the “pool that contains the whole world”, in the “moment of the dream that contains the whole soul”.

Even before water becomes something we need to protect, it is the stuff of dreams. This soundwalk begins with the awareness that we ourselves are bodies of water and that our responsibility to water is deeply connected to how we remember and imagine the world. Water, as an element, becomes a material conduit for our imagination and an extension of our connective tissues.

We draw on the works of Gaston Bachelard and Ivan Illich, thinkers deeply engaged with water, who argued that imagination is not merely the ability to form mental images but an embodied capacity that enables creative coexistence with the world. Bachelard describes water as the “eye of the world”—not only because it reflects the sky, but because its depths hold fragments of the past; deep water is a silent memory, an embodied symbol of how the past continually inhabits the present.

Our journey moves from clear, lively spring and river waters to heavier, dormant and dead waters. We walk among songs, verses and images, navigating the temporalities of different bodies of water – from surface currents to the riverbed depths; from the river of forgetfulness to the lake of memories. In an era of constant flow – of information, people, currencies and traffic – while navigating the rapids of time, we will build a temporary harbour at the “pool that contains the whole world”, in the “moment of the dream that contains the whole soul”.

Oka [Eva Mulej Vrabič]

Vocalist, performer, producer, DJ and sound artist. Her work spans electro-acoustic, ambient and experimental music, with a focus on the poetics of the voice. Using a variety of instruments, objects and field recordings, she explores the tonal qualities of melodies, words and sounds to create intimate, immersive soundscapes.

Jaka Bombač

Philosopher, researcher, critic and performer. His work explores diverse performance formats that interweave movement, sound and speech. In his academic practice, he focuses on embodied approaches to philosophy and psychology. He also experiments with new ways of communicating theoretical ideas, from podcasts to immersive lectures.

Design and concept: Eva Mulej Vrabič and Jaka Bombač
Music composition: Eva Mulej Vrabič
Text: Jaka Bombač
Translation: Melita Silič
Event photography: Matej Tomažin
Cover illustration: Kaja Horvat
Production and consulting: Irena Pivka and Brane Zorman
Production: Cona, 2025

The authors were selected through the Call for New Sound Walks by the TO)pot festival in 2024.

ACCESSIBILITY

Performance language: Slovenian

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