An Indian Music Festival was held in Hauptpatz. Nothing much was happening at first and I was beginning to wondering what exactly was going on, when a couple of Indian youth holding black radio-cassette players appeared. Some stood still, while others walked around. After a while, I heard someone singing. Following the voice, I saw a woman singing from the window of the University of Arts building. You could also hear her voice through the radio-cassette players, which resonated throughout the plaza.

Although I was skeptical about the cheap-looking gadgets at first, I was pleasantly surprised by the rich sound that they were emanating. To think that this performance may be an homage to the first ever Klangwolke (when the citizens of Linz placed radios and stereos on their windowsills and played electronic music throughout the city) made it all the more poignant.

After marching around the plaza, the band of Indians moved to a carpet and played 6 songs using traditional instruments. There were some television sets showing another Indian band playing music, and the band in front of us played along with the band on screen. Of course, the band on screen weren't playing live. The performance was steeped in nostalgia, what with the radio-cassette players and old TV sets.

Anyway, there was something special about listening to Indian music in a European town. A man and a woman sang songs infused with Kabirian philosophy as if it were an anthem of this town. I especially remember how the plaza gradually filled up with people being drawn to the sounds of the tablas and sitars, and everybody sitting around and cooling off, savoring the summer's end.
Come to think of it, the ARS festival is always held during the perfect season...

Enjoy this artwork.