SmartBirds
On 6 November at 19:30, at Mixtape 5 Club, Sofia, the event “Wings over Mountains” will take place – the premiere of the music and film created within the framework of an international art residency organised by the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) under the project “From Iron Curtain to Green Belt”.The residency is supported by the Cambridge Conservation Initiative (CCI) and Endangered Landscapes & Seascapes Programme (ELSP).
The event will present a unique musical and visual experience, where art and nature intertwine to tell the stories of the Eastern Rhodopes, their people, and the wild birds that inhabit them. Two contemporary music creators – Ivan Shopov (COOH) from Bulgaria and Nico de Transilvania from Romania and the United Kingdom – immersed themselves in the magic of Bulgarian traditional folklore to compose new music in which electronic sound meets ancient song.
During their journeys through Madzharovo, Chernichevo, and Krumovgrad, the artists recorded the voices of local folk performers from different ethnic communities – people living in harmony with one another and with nature.
The project “Wings over Mountains” gives voice both toendangered species, such as the Egyptian Vulture,and to endangered cultural traditions, such as the region’s ancient songs. It is an invitation to listen to the melody of the Eastern Rhodopes and to recognise that the conservation of nature is inseparable from the preservation of culture and the communities that keep it alive.
Ivan Shopov is an artist, musician, producer, and composer. A graduate of the National Academy of Arts in Sofia with a Master’s degree in Graphics, he creates visual artworks and posters for his own projects as well as for other prominent figures on the electronic music scene. He has participated in over 250 music releases — both solo and collaborative —establishing himself as one of the leading figures in the European electronic underground. Shopov has released over 120 vinyl records through his two labels, Etheraudio Records and ABCD. Among his best-known works are “ELATE” with Trigaida, “Kanatitsa” with Avigeya, “InFusion” with Teodosii Spassov, and “Kuker” and “Orenda” with Balkansky. As a mixing and mastering engineer with more than 20 years of experience, Shopov has toured extensively across the USA, South America, Russia, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. He currently teaches analogue and digital sound design at the National Academy of Arts in Sofia.
Nico de Transilvania promotes Romania’s natural and cultural heritage through music and film, creating works that connect generations. The interlinkages between cultural and ecological ecosystems lie at the heart of her creative practice. For Nico, the weaving together of ancient traditions, instruments, and folk songs is inseparable from environmental conservation. She is also involved in the initiative “Forests Without Frontiers,” which supports tree planting and long-term forest care across the region.
The project“From Iron Curtain to Green Belt ”is funded by the Endangered Landscapes & Seascapes Programme (ELSP), managed by theCambridge Conservation Initiative (CCI)– a unique collaboration between theUniversity of Cambridgeand leading international conservation organisations working to safeguard global biodiversity. The University and the Programme are supported byArcadia, a charitable fund ofPeter Baldwin and Lisbet Rausing.
