Journey at the Edge of the Night

At 7pm tonight Saška Rakef,  Mojca Delačand Luka Hvalc ask “why should the pleasure of the night not be equal to the pleasure of the day?” reflecting on blindness as social castration.

This programme is primarily in Slovenian – if you wish to read a long you will find a translation of the full programme as a pdf here.

Dr Evgen Bavčar has a special ritual. For over 40 years, he has been recording the nightingale singing on May nights in his hometown of Lokavec. Under the nocturnal cloak, in duet and in collaboration with the nightingale, the story unfolds into a narrative of the nightingales’ blinding so they shall sing in perpetuity – a reflection on blindness as social castration, on existential proximities and distances, the position of the blind throughout time and the question: why should the pleasure of the night not be equal to the pleasure of the day? The work innovatively utilizes sound not only as a vital stimulus for blind people, but also for narrating time, duration, space, the essence of the moment, and human coexistence. In documentary, sound conjures various emotions of the protagonist and expands the listeners perception of temporal spatial coordinates of life.

Saška Rakef, a playwright and director (Ars), Mojca Delač, a journalist and radio host (Prvi), and Luka Hvalc, a journalist and editor (Val202), are all actively involved in a variety of domestic and international projects, spanning different genres of radio production (Radio Slovenia). Known for their creativity and commitment to exploring innovative approaches to engage audiences, they continuously push the boundaries of the medium. This documentary marks their first collaborative endeavour and is unique in that it represents an experimental cohesion of storytelling for all three various radio programs and their audiences.