Nemanja Joković, a 24-year old visual artist from Belgrade enjoyed his early schooling experience and sheltered childhood in a modernist urban neighbourhood in Serbia. But he questioned how teachers and textbooks dealt with History and the historical ‘others’ in class, becoming interested to meet them in person.

 

Several years ago, he decided to travel across the border, to some of the countries which were part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia before it began disintegrating in 1991. The wars that followed in that decade led to the creation of seven new countries.

 

During his travels, Nemanja met people who dispelled any stereotypes that he may have heard at school. And while eager to make new friends on the trip, he found himself struggling to connect with a young woman whom he now remembers the most. This sound-collage interprets Nemanja’s internal dialogue about that moment and, given another chance, what else he would have said to her.

 

This work was published on 21st November 2025, edited from one hour and 45 minutes of interview recordings. Due to purposeful variations in pitch and tone, and overlapping voices, it invites active, mindful listening.

 

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