As part of the 13th Bobri Festival and in cooperation with RTV Slovenia, Radio Slovenia's third program – the ARS, it was possible to listen to audio content for children on the Fantastic Bench for one featured month. The sound installation "Here, we Listen to Literature" in the garden of the Slovene Writers' Association was a permanent space where passers-by can listen to literature. The installation, which opened in May 2021, was managed by the Ljubljana UNESCO City of Literature Office and was initiated by the Fabula Festival.
For one month from 14 September to 14 October 2021 , audiences could listen to the Fearless Fairytale by Peter Svetina and She Once Lived, she Still Lives by Nataša Konc Lorenzutti, created in the framework of B-AIR. Children and adults were also able to tune into the coproduction selection of radio fairytales made in collaboration with the Ljubljana Puppet Theatre and Anja Štefan; a sound collage based on a children's poem by Srečko Kosovel in collaboration with the Prešeren Theatre Kranj; and the children's book Rumi and the Captain by Saša Pavček, specially adapted for Radio Slovenia.
Ingrid Kovač Brus, Chief Editor of Radio Slovenia's third program, the ARS, said "Ars radio has been producing quality radio plays for children for decades, and we are delighted that our content is also available through means other than the airwaves. The selection for the Fantastic Bench by our colleagues at Radio Slovenia is an excellent feature of radio fairy tales for children, and I believe listeners will enjoy it greatly. I invite everyone to stop by the garden, press play and listen to the audio content of the Festival Bobri."
On Tuesday, 14 September 2021 at 17.00, the garden of the Slovene Writers' Association will hold the opening of the sound installation. Actor Blaž Šef will conduct a live interpretation of the story by Peter Svetina, one of the six artistic pieces for children in the selection.
Saška Rakef Perko, head of the project B-Air at Radio Slovenia, told us "It's not just important to raise awareness about the impact and significance of sound, whether spoken word or music, on people's lives; through seminars, lectures, round tables and talks. It is also important to provide a context in which focus on sound can be practised, enabled, enjoyed."
"These days, the radio receiver is often just a background sound to our lives. Installations like the Fantastic Bench offer the opportunity of novel spaces where sound is again set in the foreground as a communication channel. When that sound is 'composed' of quality content for children, this is especially valuable."
