Former member of the band Zemlja gruva Ana Đurić Construction She has built a distinctive artistic expression that combines music, performance, and contemporary art into a unique whole. Her creativity goes beyond the expected, and every song, performance, and visual detail carries a clear message, encourages thought, and leaves no room for indifference.
In 2022, her performance at Eurovision with the song “In corpore sano” became a cultural phenomenon, and the whole of Europe sang “An artist must be healthy”, while Konstrakta won fifth place and the prestigious award for best artistic performance. This conceptual performance was a reflection of the authentic style that fosters the fusion of music, performance and visual art.
In her latest project "Collection of Letters", through four songs, Konstrakta explores the complex relationship between man and technology, as well as her own internal dilemmas and struggles.
This is exactly the kind of blend of music, performance, and thoughtful art that awaits the audience on Friday, April 11th at the Big Stage of the Budo Tomović KIC, where Konstrakta, together with the band Zemlja gruva, will perform a multimedia spectacle. It will be an opportunity to hear well-known hits, but also to experience what makes her work so memorable.
Konstrakta talks to Vijesti about her performance in Podgorica, as well as her new project "Skup slova", entertainment and art in general....
Your performance in Podgorica is announced as “an authentic blend of music, artistic performance and innovative use of the latest technologies”. Your performances are always carefully designed and often carry a deeper message. Was it difficult to create a performance where you will combine several branches of art that will serve the main one you are known for - music? Will it be different in the KIC hall from those at summer festivals?
Visuals and music are close to me, and I think through both. It's not that difficult to design a show that includes visual elements, performance, or for example dance, as much as it is more demanding in terms of production, and there aren't always conditions for that.
The performance at KIC will be our solo performance, and it is automatically different from festival performances, which are usually 30 to 45 minutes long. A solo performance establishes better and deeper communication with the audience.
The theme of "Set of Letters" is the relationship with artificial intelligence and the reflection on the possibilities it brings. I wonder if it is possible for everything that is human to be translated into artificial intelligence, whether everything that we have turned into language can be automatically transcribed into artificial intelligence - even memories that are an essential part of identity. If so, "set of letters" could be a metaphor for a being that thus becomes only the bearer of a set of information
You recently released four songs, and the project itself is called “A Collection of Letters”. Although the name seems simple, it simultaneously carries a multi-layered meaning. In your songs, you deal with the relationship between humans and technology, but also with personal struggles. Is the title of the project a commentary on the way we consume information, music and art today?
You can also read the project title that way. In the rapid consumption of information, sometimes the meaning escapes you.
The theme of “Set of Letters” is the relationship with artificial intelligence and the reflection on the possibilities it brings with it. I wonder if it is possible for everything that is human to be translated into artificial intelligence, whether everything that we have turned into language can be automatically transcribed into artificial intelligence - even memories that are an essential part of identity. If so, “set of letters” could be a metaphor for a being that thus becomes only the bearer of some set of information, not necessarily with meaning, just as “Lorem Ipsum” is torn from its original meaning, from context, and formally holds a place for some content that can be added to it.
The visual part that accompanies the songs “Šta će meni ko”, “Lorem Ipsum”, “Muve” and “Zauvek, sine” is also interesting because in it you go through a transformation - from real to digital and back. These changes in aesthetics and colors can also be seen as a reflection of modern life, in which we constantly balance between the real and virtual worlds. To what extent is this visual dynamic a metaphor for the way we function today - changing roles, adapting to the context and losing the boundary between physical and digital identity?
That's right, by alternating the digital and the real, we wanted to emphasize this shifting between the "tabs" of ourselves. Also, the digital and real interior (green dress) and exterior (red dress) alternate, the space of the unconscious in the "basement" (golden dress), then a model of a house, a real house, a digital house, a drawing of a house...
This project was preceded by the single “Zabava”. But today, everything from politics to art is measured by how “fun” it is. Today, serious topics are packaged into attractive content to make them digestible, and audiences often seek instant gratification instead of deeper reflection. Does this mean that entertainment has become our basic unit of value, and is there a way to use it as a tool for reflection, instead of just distracting attention and reducing the need for deeper engagement?
I guess we've become numb, so you constantly have to increase the stimulation to get anything going, to keep attention, turbo, so to speak (thanks Rambo). What you're mentioning would be some kind of engaged entertainment, which I'm flirting with in a way.
Everyone is forced to be entertaining, in a fight for attention, even when it comes to difficult topics, political topics, ecology, science, spirituality... everything.
Entertainment eventually exhausts. Entertainment, when it becomes the only language, anesthetizes.
Instead of a topic hurting, one wrapped in entertainment ends up soothing. For example, endless political bickering on networks that remain closed in narrow circles, and leave the participants with the impression that they have done something useful. I am talking about passive consumption of content that leaves the illusion of engagement. After content comes content. To quote Arcade Fire “infinite content, we are infinitely content”
Through your songs, you openly talk about current events, you warn... Artists used to be on the front lines, using their works as a tool to provoke social change, asking questions that shaped opinions and sparked revolutions. Do artists still have the power to change society, or have they perhaps retreated to safer zones, in search of a market and popularity?
I see art as a reflection of the world, the inner and outer, the past, the future, the possible... I think that artists today are still on that line. Even today, they inspire thought or provide some emotional comfort.
It's just that it's hard to get a voice these days, partly because of the imperative of entertainment - the competition is fierce, partly because of the struggle with algorithms, partly because of the lack of systemic support, etc.
Also, all sorts of things started to be called art. Here is Konstracta, a self-proclaimed artist. Luckily, it worked out for her that everyone saw her as an artist.
Bonus video:
