The Unstruck Sound is an imaginative response to dystopian sci-fi and fears for the future. How will we survive a climate breakdown and what values might we carry that enable us to do so? Given the resilience of human society, the project draws on the memories of Estonians today to look for clues about the future.
To start, the artists worked with young people from the Tartu region who then set out to interview older people who remembered life in 1974. By looking back 50 years to a time of communism and oil shocks, what can we learn about life 50 years in the future in 2074? These interviews formed the inspiration for a film set in Tartu.
Artist Matt Adams commented on the interviews: “I was struck by the sense of hope and joy in the accounts of life in 1974. Life was deeply collective with housing, transport and work all centred on sharing and co-dependence. Hearing people talk about the balance between personal desires and collective responsibilities became an important theme in the script and one striking story in particular became its centre.”
Working with Lanzadera Films and a highly talented cast and crew from Estonia – including actors Katariina Unt, Sergo Vares and Jarmo Rehm – Blast Theory made a short film set in 2074. It tells the story of a collective surviving through ingenious gardening and strong social ties. But what about the freedom to live on our own terms? What happens to the individual in these circumstances?
Shot on an old runway used for bombers during the cold war, in the Tartu Botanic Gardens and on a derelict railway line, the artists worked with VFX Supervisor Egert Kanep to bring the future to life.
The Unstruck Sound is a collaborative participatory work exploring radical possible responses to the climate emergency, looking for unexpected future possibilities and bringing them vividly to life. It shows how citizens adapt to new threats and find their very own Arts of Survival.
The Unstruck Sound will premiere at the closing ceremony of Tartu 2024: European Capital of Culture.
The Unstruck Sound by Blast Theory. Part of the main programme of the European Capital of Culture Tartu 2024. Produced by Blast Theory.
About Tartu 2024
Estonia’s biggest event in 2024 is the European Capital of Culture. We host over 1000 events for individuals of all ages.
The year-long programme in Tartu and Southern Estonia presents the story of the Arts of Survival – the knowledge, skills, and values that will enable us to live better lives in the future.
As a community, we want to share this information while also learning from others. Inspired by culture, this is how we build a better tomorrow.
