The release comes as Anna Ruth, the experimental musician otherwise known as Koruth, shifts her focus to visual art.
Having established herself as an innovator within the Prague art scene, Koruth has been celebrated and platformed by EU-funded SHAPE+ for her ethereal melodic counterpoints and enchanting ambient soundscapes. Arriving in time to soundtrack slow summer afternoons, Il Paese Incantato is currently her only track released whilst working with the platform.
Her ostensible lack of activity can be explained by her metamorphic intent; in the middle of her year with SHAPE+, Koruth chose to become a visual artist first and foremost, forgoing her musical disciplines, with the visual accompaniments to this track laying the foundation for her audiovisual statement of transition.
The track itself is a multi-sensory journey, weaving ambient field recordings and soft synth harmonies with masterful precision, seamlessly transitioning into delicate splashes of hi-fi drums. It paints a serene and reflective soundscape, drifting like a gentle breeze through a serpentine barren landscape, inviting listeners into a state of peaceful introspection.
In the four images she created with the song, the juxtaposition of the thorny branch and the delicate intimacy of the necklace creates a profound narrative about Anna Ruth’s artistic journey. The thorny branch embodies the proverbial “thorn in the flesh”, potentially symbolising the lingering challenges of her previous artistic activities. The warm illumination of the candles equate to comfort and safety, contrasting with the dark, harsh environment depicted by the thorny branch, conceptualising Ruth’s quest for a nurturing and peaceful creative space.
“This composition was created as a result of a daily collection of sounds that I recorded during a very mentally demanding month,” she says. “Working on the sound collage helped me to reduce the dissociation at that time and to return to the present.”
SHAPE+ is an EU-funded platform renowned for championing groundbreaking interdisciplinary artists from across Europe. Currently at the end of its sophomore year, the 2023/24 Shape+ roster is a 45-strong cohort, including French sound-design artist Félicia Atkinson, Brussels-based DJ ojoo (fka OJOO GYAL), Heinali, oldyungmayn and Príncipe Discos-affiliated musician Xexa.
Listen to the track below while viewing the visuals to immerse yourself in Koruth’s vision.
