Urban Space-Care
Mareike Dobewall works as a director, scenographer, musician and composer with a focus on our relationship with spaces. She studied filmmaking in Berlin, scenography at the Norwegian Theatre Academy and choreography at HZT in Berlin. Since 2016 she is based in Stockholm. In 2021 she completed her PhD at Stockholm University of the Arts within the programme Performative and Media based practices, with a specialization in Opera.
Mareike Dobewall works transdisciplinary. During her doctoral research she created the genre “spatial sound performance” as a form of music performance with live musicians that is in dialogue with the performance space and illuminates the space for the audience through creative guidance of their attention. Her individual practice “spaces as voice teachers” is a multisensorial dialogue with architectural spaces. Her interactions with architecture acknowledge that social space is created through the sharing of spaces and involves concepts of care and responsibility. She works internationally.
We live in an increasingly transient world. Our attention is divided between physical spaces, our thoughts and devices. "Non-places" (Marc Augé) increase. This affects our social interaction. This project aims to explore our interconnectedness in shared architectural spaces through creative sonic interactions. ”Space-care” is a practice where we create an awareness of the relationship(s) that we enter when we share space. The goal is to heighten people's awareness of their surroundings and foster a deeper connection with the spaces they share. In collaboration with local participants, architects, and researchers, I will stimulate active engagement and dialogue.
The foundation of the project is the spatial sound performance "Musica Mundana" (2021). It considered our place in the universe. The music was created in dialogue with the performance site. The material was informed by research in astrophysics.
My current project ”Terrestrial Voices” is driven by the urgency of climate changes happening invisibly. It is a collaboration with a microbiologist and a choir in Lund, Sweden. In 2024 we will create music performances that share knowledge about changes in local soil. Collected data from research sites in Skåne will be embodied in vocal performance at the site.
My proposal for LINA involves a similar investigation and creation, but in an urban environment. It connects architectural structures and movement notations of living beings. Sound performances will be created in collaboration with local participants. Hereby we will share gathered information and initiate dialogues within designated spaces. The project seeks to unveil the complexity of our relationship with shared architectural spaces. It will reveal hidden aspects and make them evident through spatial listening and sounding practices.
The project addresses contemporary challenges within urban environments. It aims to make a positive impact on our surroundings and our relationship with them.