Soundscapes of Mostar: Space and Art Beyond the Divided City

Abstract

The ‘spatial turn’ in peace research has primarily highlighted the visuality of the spaces in which peace takes place. In this article, however, we argue that ‘sound’ can challenge rigid visual markers, which are particularly prominent in divided cities. Drawing on a sound story from a larger archive, we investigate how a sound artist re-imagines the divided city of Mostar by mobilizing a set of sonic memories. Our sonic reading of the Partisan’s Cemetery traces the spatial transformation of the city, which disrupts visual representations of space as divided and presents alternative spatial imaginations.