Iza Smelczyńska^pl

© Lukasz Blazejewski

Iza Smelczyńska is a composer, sound artist and musicologist based in Warsaw whose practice revolves around avant-garde and experimental music. Fascinated by the infinite qualities of sound, she is interested in recording sounds that are both typical of daily life and unfamiliar, as well as inventing new electroacoustic devices. These activities are intrinsic to shaping her musical compositions. She has been invited to partake in various artists residencies, among which AIR Laboratory in Warsaw, Hai Art in Finland and Q-O2 in Brussels; and has participated in the CTM Festival in Berlin.
As a musicologist and journalist, her research is focused on soundscape studies, sound education and the different ways of listening – not only to music, but also to sounds of everyday life. Known for her contributions as an editor to Glissando magazine, which is dedicated to contemporary music, Smelczyńska also writes for various publications, including Przekrój, Ruch Muzyczny and Dwutygodnik.

The term szeptucha (“one who whispers”), to which the title of the performance by sound artist and musicologist Iza Smelczyńska refers, is used to describe the traditional practice performed predominantly in Podlasie by Polish women-healers. The practice mainly consists of “whispering” prayers from Christian Orthodoxy in a mix of Polish, Belarusian and Old Slavic languages. Smelczyńska draws inspiration from this esoteric approach and tradition as she probes the immeasurable possibilities of sound.