Behold a new podcast in the making! Reflective conversations in English, Romanian, and Russian will soon shine light on Casa Zemstvei, an energy zone for independent art and culture in Chişinău, Moldova.
Over the past five days, I was privileged to introduce podcasting to a group of locals aged 17 to 30, each one drawn to the new media opportunity. First, we met online for introductions. As they shared their passion for music, sound, and community, I knew they were ready to learn the how-to’s. We would soon meet in-person, for the 3-day intensive workshop I had designed for them. The experience would unfold in and around the space known as Casa Zemstvei, a crumbling edifice at the heart of the city inaugurated as an orphanage in 1856.
Testing 1-2-3. On Day. One, I rolled my black carryon bag into the Oberliht Association office and invited three early comers to unload and set up the mobile recording studio I’d brought from the United States four months ago, when I came to Moldova to serve in the Peace Corps Response program. Digital natives, they got to work without hesitation. Within 30 minutes, they were seated, wearing headsets and interviewing each other—asking and answering 4 questions I had projected onto a facing wall. They learned to slate audio files, position the microphones, pay attention to the sound of their clothes, to the creak of the door that opened and closed as others arrived. That evening, the building’s animators came out to greet us. Alex held the microphone out to capture the experience as we toured the building, visited studios, met artists and animators. A local coalition of cultural activists invited us to their 4-year anniversary fete. Marina led a jam session. Magic.
Ready, Set, Go. Day Two in Casa Zemstvei involved a listening session, reflections, an introduction to story structure, and tons of questions. More testing of the interview model, two by two. Participants went solo that afternoon, taking their mobile phones and a couple of Zoom H4Ns to spark sonic conversations with the building itself. Later, as we sat around the table for a deep-thinking session, they shifted through ideas that would shape their stories. The decision: their episodes would create a portrait of Casa Zemstvei’s people. The building and its cultural history would be elemental. In the evening, one team recorded an interview with Maxim in the analog print studio called 3rd Space. Vladimir, our host, went off to capture the sound of Critical Mass, a community bicycle ride through the city. Alex recorded with Bioskop film club organizers. The rest of us readied for the morrow. Whoosh!
Day Three: Field Day at Casa Zemstvei. We began this day with more listening and reflection, identifying who would go where to collect interviews and sounds across 6 hours of activations. Then, we jumped and ran. In true relay style, the few recorder kits we had were passed hand to hand as the team caught the stream of voices flowing through the hallways and into various creative spaces. Alex collected sounds in a refugee children’s workshop where an enchanted forest had grown up the walls. Franz sat down amid a Queer Choir rehearsal. Daniel and Bogdan traced a path through current exhibitions in the space, their interviews centered on the liminality of war and peace. Pavel recorded with a local video artist in his project room. Marina took in the story of the portraitist whose sketches line the walls of the main corridor. Olga caught the grunge vibe of the DIY bicycle workshop. Mind. Still. Spinning.
Next, the challenge of post-production. We’ll meet at mine in a few days’ time, for a listening session, scripting, and voice over recording. Quite the sound adventure, don’t you think? And it’s only the beginning…
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