My master thesis

My first-ever thesis

Something that I just found out here in Germany is that it is normal to write a thesis at the end of a bachelor’s degree. Well, in Portugal, that’s not the case. So, my first thesis ever was the one I did for my master’s. The good thing is, it was half practical, half theoretical. I needed to do a project, related to art and media. I struggled for months to get an idea for my project, when it comes to art, I am not the most talented person. Thankfully, my friend and colleague came to me with an idea and asked me if I wanted to join her, and the project was great, and I joined her in this adventure.

The project: Vilafamés

I explored how sound can represent the identity of two towns: Vilafamés in Spain and Gross-Umstadt in Germany, especially during their annual festivals.

Vilafamés is a beautiful village in Castellón, Spain, known for its medieval streets and an historic castle. Every year, usually in late August or early September, the town comes alive with the Fiestas Patronales, a big celebration in honour of its patron saints. My colleague and I only went for one weekend, but I wished we had gone for the whole festival. Our goal was to record the sounds of the festival, and I think we did a great job! So, let me tell you a little bit about the Fiestas Patronales. Like many Spanish villages, Vilafamés brings the whole community together for a mix of religious traditions, cultural events, and plenty of fun. There were processions, masses, live music, dance performances, fireworks, and even bull-running, which is common in Valencian celebrations. The people were so friendly; they treated us like family. One time, we were waiting for something and someone asked us if we had had dinner, and invited us to eat with their family. The food in the village was amazing too! The music and dancing made us feel at home, as it does in Portugal. There were so many activities, including the „Carreras de Caballos“, which is like a horse race, but the horses just run past the street, so it’s not really racing. It felt like a real cowboy movie though! But not everything was great; there was one thing I hated to watch: the bull running. It was the main event, and it happened almost every day. The bull was kept in a cage, where they made him angry. Then they tied him to light a fire in his horns, and released him again. The goal is for him to go after the people. They don’t hurt him, but having fire in the horns in mid August, in Spain, isn’t the most comfortable thing. We had to record the sound of everything.

The project: Gross-Umstadt

Back in Germany, in September we went to a completely different festival: Winzerfest, in Gross-Umstadt, close to Dieburg, where I had classes. Something funny about this town is that there are many Portuguese families, restaurants and supermarkets, there’s no doubt that I ate a lot of Portuguese food while recording there. As the name suggests, the Winzerfest is a popular annual event celebrating the region’s wine culture and viticulture. The festival showcases wines produced by local wineries and includes tastings, live music, food stalls, a parade and various cultural activities. There is also like an amusement park with a lot of attractions. The best is the parade on the last day, with a lot of groups singing and dancing. Like the carnival, they say something and we have to say it back: “Viva de Woi” and we reply “Viva!”. In Portuguese, it’s like “Hooray!”.

Composition and Exhibition

So, we had our recordings, then we had to mix the sounds of both places, to create an artistic soundscape. But not a regular sound composition, a 360º sound composition, it means that the sounds come from 8 speakers. After completing the composition, we organized an exhibition. A very professional exhibitoin, I would say, with a Vernissage. All my friends and my colleagues were there and I loved seeing their reactions while listening to the piece that my colleague and I created.

It was a wonderful experience, I’ve learned a lot and I discovered how much sound is important and not so noticeable. Normally, when we think about a place, or think about a memory, we go straight to the images of the place. We wanted to prove that sound can have that role too, when thinking of a place. And we did it, at least for me.

What I’ve learned

What I’ve learned? Well, a lot about recording and recording material (microphones, recorders…), a lot about sound producing, and that creating things with friends is so much better than doing it on my own, and that was the most important thing for me: that I could create this amazing project with my friend Stephanie.

When I started, I knew nothing about sound,  so don’t be afraid of trying new things, you can find out that you love that and that you’re good at it. Have fun and keep learning!