photo by Sabina Kojić

Sounding Solitude

Jasna Jovićević Quinary

The State51 Conspiracy / Mascom Records

The concept of the album is closely related to my personal experience of pandemic state of emergency while in lockdown. Isolation and the sudden changes on a global level made me explore the state of unknown, solitude without music making, interaction with one`s own fears instead of social comfort. This album reflects one of the most challenging periods we all went through alone and lonely. „Sounding Solitude“ marks the inner journey into the new reality. Artistic research consisted of several segments; investigation of psychological studies that deals with methodologies for overcoming loss and grief, in our case sudden global lockdown and pandemics, study of yogic and Buddhist meditation techniques that help in overcoming a state of anxiety, depression, fear, and isolation, serving as the antidotes, and the sonified projection of the personal reaction to these new outcomes.

In order to classify different stages and divide them as music pieces, I applied elements of the Kübler-Ross grief model which outlines five stages of coping with  grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance, adding one more at the end; the inner insights. Furthermore, over the last several months I developed a particular Sadhana (daily spiritual practice) or a combination of the meditation techniques that helped me to become aware of, accept, and overcome the psychological obstacles I encountered. Each composition is related to one psychological period that we went through during the pandemic, so 6 compositions were created. It is not only a journey through the struggle, but also a path showing the new insights, offering tools and hope for the times to come.

1. Fear of the Unknown recreates the first shock as a reaction to the given facts of COVID-19, provoking panic, fear, shock, denial, surprise, avoidance,  and disbelief.
2. Walking Meditation is an easy technique in becoming aware of one`s body and movement, dealing with thoughts of anger, frustration, and irritation. In this second stage, a stage of activity and anxiety, it is hard to make our mind and body stop reacting and relax. We apply active meditation techniques, where we concentrate on the length of our breaths by counting them with the steps during the walk, our breathing becomes a subject of concentration. Step by step, as the mind calms down, the exchalation becomes longer than the inhalation, and the thoughts can not overrule us.
3. Deep Blue Healer answers the state of bargaining, classification, confusion, consideration, the moment when we started to reach out to others. During this stage, we all started to gain some perspective and consider the wider implications, realizing we are not alone. At this turning point, me as well as many people around the world started chanting mantras for the well being of all. This composition is a sonification of such a prayer.
4. Androgen Pain reflects the depression, disappointment, helplessness, and the passivity that overwhelmed us. It was hard to avoid feeling glum, and for the moment, I even enjoyed the romantic sense of it.
5. 10 Steps to the State of Laya is the sound projection of Nada Yoga Sadhana as taught by Sw. Sivananda Saraswati, the great teacher of Nada Yoga. According to Sw.Sivananda Nada Yoga teaching ( union or merger into Sound), the mind is naturally attracted to the sound, but if trained, cultured, and controlled, it gets absorbed in Anahata sound, attaining the knowledge of hidden things, developing an eye of intuition. In the practice, one chooses a sound as a subject for concentration. By listening to the inner sound ( sounds we hear inside while keeping the ears closed), we fix our mind and get absorbed into the sound, developing inner hearing, and step by step, we discover 10 different layers leading us to the Anahata Sound, the sound as the manifestation of Absolute. The advanced practice, if conducted sincerely and persistently, can take us in the state of Laya, the state behind the sound.
   This practice helped develop acceptance, adaptation, and the feeling that we should explore options, move on, make new plans, new routines in the times of pandemic, sensing the personal responsibility for the greater good.
6. Joy of the Unknown is the last composition, revealing the new insights we gained on this struggling journey. Unitedness in collective expression, joyfull play in the unknown dimension makes us become stronger, braver, and ready for the new knowledge of reality.  The invocation of  Buddha Shakyamuni aspect symbolizes faith and determination in evolved Consciousness as the outcome of 5 stages.

After many months of loneliness and solo musicking, it was symbolic to interpret music of solitude with musician friends. Colleagues participating in the album were very carefully selected and put together in a creative team that, although all from different domains of music, functioned, understood and breathed perfectly on this topic. The collective expression we created is the mirror of togetherness and compassion in the long solitude.

Fear of the Unknown

Walking Meditation

Deep Blue Healer

Androgen Pain

10 Steps to the State of Laya 1st Step

2nd-6th Step

7th Step

8th & 9th Step

10th Step

Joy of the Unknown

Walking Meditation

Quinary – Music Video