Years of sound living: Mikser festival in Savamala (2012-2016)

Abstract

This article deals with the soundscape of Mikser, an independent festival of contemporary creativity, established in 2009 in Belgrade, the capital city of Serbia. I focus on the years 2012-2016, during which Mikser was taking place in Savamala, an urban quarter in central Belgrade - which itself has undergone various urbanistic and cultural transformations in recent years. The creative team behind Mikser aimed to turn Savamala into a permanent fixture on the map of Belgrade nightlife and a tourist hotspot; the fact that they did not succeed was on account both of financial issues and conflicting top-down business interests. My conclusion is that the long-term survival of the festival is not dependent on its program or audiences, but on securing official support and infrastructure. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. 177004: Serbian Musical Identities Within Local and Global Frameworks: Traditions, Changes, Challenges]

Keywords

• Savamala
• Mikser Festival
• Belgrade
• soundscape
• soundwalk