The Museum of Rock'n'Roll Evolution

Why should the Museum of Rock'n'Roll Evolution be established?

The first reason is a great number of open questions, which do not get right answers, neither locally nor internationally. The state of Yugoslavia - Slovenia being one of its six republics up to fifteen years ago - had not only a unique position within the Non-Alligned Movement, but also a high quality production of rock music, which could - in quality and later also quantity - compete with the world production. These facts are made known only now. One of recent examples, which could demonstrate the European status quo regarding information, was a lecture by Igor Bašin, TV Slovenia music editor, at the occasion of the multimedia "Punk congress" in Kassel in October 2004. Bašin presented some recordings of the group Pankrti from 1977. German journalists questioned the authenticity of the material as they wondered how the emergence of an authentic punk group was possible in Slovenia within the socialist state of Yugoslavia in 1977 already. A historical comparison of European music productions produces amazement, which is a symptom.
The second example is the presence of several licensed vinyl records, which were recorded in ex-Yugoslav region, at the collectors market. These records present a precious rarity, the objects of costly exchange. Licensed record production in former Yugoslavia was quite a unique example among socialist countries. The records presenting Yugoslav rock production have attained a high standing across Europe as they are classified as first-class products.

Quite surprisingly the museums of rock music - not amateur collections but professional museum institutions - are quite rare. We would mention only two such museums in Germany (Gronau, Muenchen) and one in the USA (Cleveland). Last but not the least, the museum of modern music could make a significant tourist destination.

The Concept of Construction

The construction of the Museum of Rock'n'roll Evolution is not conceived only as physical installation into a specific space, but as an conceptual project that incorporates all characteristics of modern creative activism. These could be summed up as "Archive process as artistic procedure". The conception of the museum construction should not conform to any sort of arbitrary selection of presented artefacts, but should be founded on definite and historically grounded facts. Besides the museum should become a living organisation form, which lives and develops in time. Its connection with the emerging and upcoming production is of utmost importance. Or it would be positioned as a mummy in space and time. Rock music is a living form and in case the museum would crush this characteristic it would lose its function and purpose. On the contrary, the rock culture - the very "subject matter" of the museum - should assist to construct the new museum form.

The Concept made Concrete

The Museum of Rock'n'roll Evolution will present various moments and monuments of the historical production of home rock music:

1. Published records by performers and authors
The home production began quite modestly in the 60s, it flourished during the 70s, in the 80s it was so abundant that the selection presents quite a difficult task.

2. Photo material
Several successful photographers were skilled through the genre of rock photography. The most representative works appeared in the newspapers. However, a few of them were published in specialised photography or music magazines. The reason was the impossibility of a quality reproduction and dissemination. It is high time that these documents get a proper archive room in order to protect this part of cultural history.

3. Press materials
In the field of rock music we could speak of:
- Posters - this is a unique story as in this field the designers tended to be creatively subversive. We speak of a period when the capital was not faster than ideas.
- Music newspapers. Do we know that some special music newspapers were covering the rock music only?
- Other press material, which was important for the rock scene, newpaper clipping, documents on social context in relation to rock music
- Publications which deal with popular music
- Fanzines
- Artistic concepts on paper (e.g. the group Laibach was one of the most productive groups in the field)
4. Video materials
- the first video material were stage performances by home rock groups at national television programmes
- during the 80s the video production started to develop
- independent video production

5. Technical artefacts
- Instruments. Are we aware of the fact that many instruments were made by musicians themselves at the beginning of their career? Do we remember that local factories producing music instruments and equipment did produce also their own models of electric guitars and bas guitars? Plus original models of amplifiers for those instruments? The names Melodija Mengeš, Tajfun, Uragan, Čajavec were legendary at the rock scene.
- Copies. Do we know that the most eminent world trademarks of amplifiers, e.g. Marshall, were produced also in our region? Those copies are highly appreciated and sought after by international musicians.
- Technical equipment of foreign companies. Some old models of analogue technical equipment are of remarkable value and still present and used at some Slovene professional studios.

The Public
The momentum of music, esp. the rock'n'roll instant of it, would undoubtedly give rhythm to aspirations of the individual and group visitors, from local milieu as well as from abroad. The impulses may vary - nostalgia (older generations), search after the lost, curiosity, sheer pleasure, practical research (we expect students, local and international historians, sociologists, etc.), killing free time in heterotopia of particular music and design (young generation). The museum is going to comprise contemporary interactive methods of presentation.

The Concept Expanded
As the museum has to live its own life here and now, not taking into account the collected material, its expansion means the added value to the museum and positive legacy. The expansion should be linked to the active inclusion of space and time, which could be performed by two sections of the museum:

The Shop
The shop with audio records, press material, publications, video production will bring the element of interaction and timespace expanding (souvenirs). Non-commercial aspect will be observed. In the shop no current production will be available. The contemporary distribution networking will be disabled.

The Music Studio
The audio studio is to be comprised into museum structure. It means that the museum will live its interactive life. The spaces will operate for manifold purposes. Frequently.

Dušan Hedl
Subkulturni azil

Maribor, October 22, 2004

Contact: subazil@mail.ljudmila.org