SPOTTED: Kia Kolhori creates musical anti-war compositions
- Music
- Research
For many people, it's difficult to imagine what it's like to grow up in a war zone. Master's student Kia Kalhori, from The Sound of Innovation course, grew up in Iran and experienced the constant threat of war violence. That's why Kia chose to explore how he can make people experience the feeling of war through sound and music as part of his master's project. His goal? "To convey an anti-war message." In an interview with 1Twente Enschede, Kia talks about his research and musical project, and how the master's course in Enschede has given him the space to carry out this unique project.
Music as the ultimate tool to convey a message
"War is a common topic in Iran, it's often mentioned on news channels and on the radio," explains Kia. For him, war violence is appalling. That's why he decided to dedicate a musical project to it for his master's studies. "Music is the most powerful way to convey a message. With this project, I want to make people feel what war is like," Kia says.
For the music project, Kia uses soundscapes and audio fragments. War refugees record these audio fragments, sharing their personal stories about war. Kia aims to make people experience the reality of war through a composition that incorporates sounds of bombs, guns, and air raid sirens. "My goal is to convey an anti-war message," Kia says. "And I believe that the reality of living in wartime should also be conveyed through sound. Because hearing bombs as a child in a war zone is truly horrifying. So sound plays an important role."
Connecting society to music
Esther Schopman, a research coach, collaborates with Kia on this project. Not as his coach, but as a colleague and fellow musician. When Esther heard about Kia's project, she was immediately intrigued. "I am, in addition to being a research coach at ArtEZ, also involved in setting up a platform for music students in the Enschede region to better connect with societal issues and current events. I think it's important for music students to expand their own professional practice and field in this way. As musicians, you have a different way of communicating, through music. While journalists often only have spoken and written words to communicate. Musicians speak a different language, and can therefore respond differently," Esther explains.
Check out and listen to the full interview with Kia and Esther here. At the end of the video - and at the bottom of the news item - you will also find a call from Kia. He is still looking for stories from people who have lived in a war zone, fled, or otherwise been affected by war violence.
Enschede: city of innovation and experimentation
Kia is enrolled in the master's program The Sound of Innovation. This master's program - as the name suggests - focuses on innovation, specifically within sound and music. "In this master's program, you have the space to truly be yourself, like a musician. We are encouraged to be innovative in our own way. So this master's program is really about self-development," Kia tells 1Twente.
The ArtEZ Academy of Music in Enschede provides space and facilities for creative makers like Kia to bring about such innovations. Collaboration with the University of Twente is increasingly sought from this academy, and vice versa. By operating together at the intersection of science and art, often innovative ideas about the role of sound and music in society come to light. Another example of this is the Music Therapy education column, which you can follow from pre-education to lectureship at the ArtEZ Academy of Music in Enschede.
About the master's course The Sound of Innovation
The musical and creative industry is always evolving. Genres and fields that are hot and happening now may not exist in 20 years. With the master's courseThe Sound of Innovation, you prepare for this dynamic field of work and an unknown future. The master's course offers a stimulating interdisciplinary environment where you can experiment and pioneer with music and music technology. You develop musical innovations for your own professional practice and for other fields. You have plenty of space to come up with and develop innovative things: from new instruments to musical designs for museums, and from alternative notation systems to sonic techniques. Once graduated, you will be a professional who improves the world with innovative, sustainable, and future-proof musical creations.