VINČA CODE: IMMERSIVE SOUNDSPACE

French Institute in Novi Sad / Novi Sad / Serbia / December 15–22, 2025 / January 8–15, 2026.

PROJECT PRESENTATION

Guitarists Association of Vojvodina
City of Novi Sad
French Institute in Novi Sad
Slovenian Guitar Quartet

SPECIAL THANKS

Živojin Kuzmanović and Stevan Jović from the Guitarists Association of Vojvodina
Simon Schoonbroodt and Vanja Manić Matić from the French Institute in Novi Sad

TECHNICAL DETAILS OF THE PROJECT

The project consists of an exhibition segment that describes the process behind the creation of the installation and the music, as well as a VR component that allows visitors to enter a virtual space via Meta Quest devices, through which they can access:

1. A virtual installation Vinča Code: Immersive Soundspace featuring the music from the second movement of Krug Duo suite for two guitars
(duration: 3’)

2. A VR180 / 3D recording of a performance of the third movement of Krug Duo (duration: 4’30’)

The author of the virtual installation, the music, and the VR180 video production is Momčilo Aleksandrić.

The first and third movements of the musical suite Krug Duo were performed by Novak Miljković and Aleksandar Antić (ALNO Duo), while the second movement was performed by Izidor Erazem Grafenauer.

Audio production was managed by Dušan Simić and Jan Hajšen.

The Unity 3D application was developed by Sanja Golubović and Pavle Kuznjecov, while the 3D video animation was created by Mihajlo Dragaš.

TIMELINE OF THE CREATION OF THE WORK

Over the past 15 years, the author’s professional work has been devoted exclusively to the classical guitar — performance, pedagogy, and composition. In parallel, through an interest in various other fields, the multimedia work Vinča Code: Immersive Soundspace emerged spontaneously (and partly by coincidence).

Below is a timeline of the different areas of interest that naturally led to its creation.

2010 — beginning of writing poetry in Serbian
2011–2012 — poems become shorter and more condensed, often consisting of only a few words
2013–2014 — idea not to publish the poems as a printed book, but to present them in space as conceptual art
2015–2016 — writing shorter texts also in English; introduction of color; interest in the symbolism of drawings and inscriptions from ancient Egypt; reading Umberto Eco’s semiotic studies; idea of the need for new spaces for performing contemporary art music
2017–2018 — first experience with a VR device; the idea of placing English texts in a virtual space
2018–2019 — collecting English words that could become part of the virtual installation; idea to compose music
2020 — interest in inscriptions from the Vinča culture (“proto-writing”); idea to connect the virtual installation with Vinča “signs”
2021 — developing an interest in the Orthodox Octoechos and beginning to compose music for a virtual installation; working on the video animation for the installation
2022 — acquisition of a Meta Quest VR device; initial ideas for the realization of the VR installation; new musical ideas – diatonic hexachords and hocket technique
2023–2024 — completion of the music for the VR installation
2025 — work on the performance and recording of the music; completion of the VR installation; public presentation of the installation

VISUAL COMPONENT OF THE VR INSTALLATION


At the center of this installation is a visual motif from the Vinča culture, which the artist freely interprets as the sign IMI — believed by some researchers to have marked the entrance to a temple.
_{(This assumption, as well as all visual representations, was taken from the book:
 Shan M. M. Winn, Pre-Writing in Southeastern Europe: The Sign System of the Vinča Culture, ca. 4000 B.C., Western Publishers, Canada, 1981, ISBN 0-919119-09-3.)}

Through a series of free associations, this sign, together with M, W, O, D, transforms into letters, words, and their combinations in English, forming an open field of symbols and meaning.

Rendered in shades of gray and blue, these elements create an open conceptual space — an invitation to interpretation rather than a closed narrative.

The author’s initial idea was to develop a custom font for the final version of the virtual installation. However, as the creative process extended over time, the decision was made to retain the original font in which the work was created — Microsoft Calibri.

This installation represents one possible artistic perspective on so-called “Vinča proto-writing,” which remains the subject of scholarly debate.

MUSIC

In this VR installation, the author uses his composition “Krug Duo” for two guitars as the musical material. What makes Krug Duo distinctive is that most of its chords have likely never before been realized in guitar practice. Alongside retuning the sixth string to F, the composer adopts a principle in which each chord is built from six different degrees of the F-major scale, thus forming a system of diatonic hexachords.

To create a diatonic hexachord:
① start from any pitch in the F major scale,
② form a consecutive sequence of six notes,
③ stack those six notes into a chord.



The foundation of the third movement of the suite Krug Duo is the medieval hocket technique, in which vocal performers alternate singing the notes of a melody. In this case, the two guitarists alternate continuously, playing chords—specifically diatonic hexachords—inspired by the Orthodox Octoechos. “Krug Duo” is part of the author’s cycle of compositions conceptually inspired by the painting “Krug” by Lazar Vozarević.



The author has written an article about his compositional system based on the use of diatonic hexachords, titled Octoechos Chant Tradition as an Inspiration for New Music, which was published in Soundboard magazine by the Guitar Foundation of America. To learn more, scan this QR code to access the full article.

BIOGRAPHIES OF PARTICIPANTS IN THE PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION


MOMČILO ALEKSANDRIĆ (1991) is a Serbian guitarist, pedagogue, composer, and multimedia artist. After winning First Prize at the prestigious Hong Kong Altamira International Guitar Competition (2018), he performed as a concert artist and lecturer across Asia, Australia, Europe, and North and Latin America.
His Comprehensive Guitar Method – College Textbook is an official textbook at several leading U.S. universities, including Duke University and the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities. He has presented his research and compositional work at some of the world’s most prestigious classical guitar conferences, including the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts Guitar Forum (2018), the University of Melbourne Guitar Conference (2019), and the 50th Guitar Foundation of America Conference (New York, 2023). His paper Octoechos Chant Tradition as an Inspiration for New Music was published in Soundboard, the magazine of the Guitar Foundation of America (2024).
He is currently dedicated to shaping the future of classical guitar through the use of artificial intelligence and virtual reality, as well as creating multimedia artworks. He is a co-founder of the non-profit organization Belgrade Guitar District and a recipient of the Dositejа Foundation scholarship.

www.moma.vision



RAŠKO RADOVIĆ is the founder and the president of the Guitarists Association of Vojvodina and the executive director of the Vojvodina Guitar Fest (Novi Sad), was born in 1979 in Novi Sad. He graduated at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad, and since 1999 he works as a professor of guitar at the Musical School „Isidor Bajić“ in Novi Sad. Since 2007 he has been working as an instructor of the Royal Music School of the United Kingdom (ABRSM) for guitar in Southeast Europe.
Rich pedagogical work is depicted by students from his class who are multiple winners of the first prizes at all relevant domestic and prestigious international competitions. He has received the AP Vojvodina Prize for mentoring, as well as the Prize of the City of Novi Sad for outstanding results in the field of music pedagogy.
He is an indispensable guest at guitar festivals in the region, as a jury member and lecturer. His decennial managing work in the cultural life of Novi Sad, Vojvodina and the whole region, as the president and founder of the Guitarists Association of Vojvodina, is reflected in countless projects that have enriched and marked the cultural and musical scene.
The desire to popularize and improve the classical guitar in this area has led him to the idea of starting the Vojvodina Guitar Fest, whose director he is from its inception in 2007, through which have passed hundreds of top guitarists, performers, lecturers and competitors from all over the world, as well as countless audiences.



NOVAK MILJKOVIĆ is a talented young guitarist, born in Belgrade in 1997. He began playing the guitar at the age of seven. He completed his elementary and high school music education at the “Dr. Vojislav Vučković” Music School in Belgrade under the guidance of Professor Milkica Ponjavić.
He completed his third year of undergraduate studies at the “Giuseppe Tartini” Conservatory in Trieste in the class of Professor Lucio Dosso. He finished his undergraduate studies at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad in the class of Professor Zoran Krajišnik. He completed his master’s and specialist academic studies at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade under the supervision of Professor Srđan Tošić. From 2020 to 2024, he was employed as a guitar teacher at the Petar Stojanović Music School in Ub, and he is currently teaching at the Davorin Jenko Music School in Belgrade. He regularly serves as a jury member at national festivals and competitions and achieves outstanding results with his students.
Since 2021, he has been performing as a member of the ALNO Guitar Duo together with Aleksandar Antić. The duo has achieved notable success both in Serbia and abroad, performing numerous concerts and winning multiple first prizes at international competitions.
He has won first prizes at many national and international competitions, including Classic Art Festival (Šabac), Vart Festival (Valjevo), Guitar Open Festival (Subotica), Naissus Guitar Festival (Niš), Mörski festival kitare (Slovenia), the International Guitar Festival in Sarajevo, and the National Competition in Belgrade.



ALEKSANDAR ANTIĆ was born in 1995. He has been playing the guitar since the age of eight. As a soloist, he has won 21 awards at national and international competitions. He completed his secondary music education at the “Dr. Vojislav Vučković” Music School in Belgrade, in the class of Professor Milkica Ponjavić.
He completed his undergraduate studies at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad in the class of Professor Zoran Krajišnik. He completed his second year of undergraduate studies as an Erasmus+ scholarship holder at the “Giuseppe Tartini” Conservatory in Trieste (Italy), in the class of Bianca Duccio. He completed his master’s studies at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad, in the class of Professor Srđan Tošić.
He has attended masterclasses with distinguished professors such as Dušan Bogdanović, Thomas Offermann, Pierluigi Corona, Renato Samuelli, Sandro Torlontano, Petar Janković, Hong Tee, and Julia Malischnig, among others. He performs as a soloist, soloist with orchestra, member of a guitar orchestra, and chamber musician. Since 2020, he has been a member of the ALNO Guitar Duo. Since 2019, he has been working as a guitar teacher at the “Jovan Bandur” Music School in Pančevo.



ERAZEM GRAFENAUER (Slovenia) (1991) is a Slovenian musician, interpreter, creator, and pedagogue whose work bridges early and contemporary music through performance, research, and artistic creation. He performs internationally across Europe and the Americas as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral performer, collaborating with ensembles such as the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra, Slovenian Philharmonic, Dubrovnik Chamber Orchestra, and others.
His repertoire spans Renaissance and Baroque music on historical instruments as well as contemporary projects integrating improvisation, electroacoustics, and interdisciplinary expression. He teaches at the Academy of Music, University of Ljubljana, as Assistant Professor for Chamber Music and Historical Plucked Instruments, and regularly gives international masterclasses.
His recordings include Preludio (Divya Records, 2018), XyloCorda (ZKP RTV, 2022), and Ventana abierta (Celinka, 2023). He is also Artistic Director of Rasgueado Ljubljana and the Ljubljana Guitar Festival.



PAVLE KUZNJECOV is a freelance hard-surface 3D artist from Lajkovac, Serbia, now based in Belgrade. He graduated from the School of Electrical Engineering with a focus on New Computer Technologies, and has spent the past five years working in 3D—mostly creating product visualizations for luxury brands, from watches and electronics to high-end suitcases. Earlier in his career he also worked on video game art, which helped shape his sense of design. His creative life is fueled by music, nature, and art, giving his work a balance of technical precision and personal inspiration.



SANJA GOLUBOVIĆ is a 27-year-old game developer and tech artist with a degree in Informatics and Computing. She always had a strong passion for game development, from early hobby projects to the professional work I do today. She enjoys bridging art and technology — designing engaging experiences, refining visuals, and making sure everything both looks great and runs smoothly.
Outside of work, she likes spending time with friends, playing games, and watching TV shows to relax and recharge. Games and series also inspire her creatively, helping her spot interesting ideas, storytelling techniques, and small details she can bring into her own projects.
She‘s constantly learning new tools, workflows, and technologies to improve her skills and stay current in the industry. Her long-term goal is to keep growing as a developer and tech artist while contributing to meaningful, memorable games that players genuinely enjoy.



MIHAJLO DRAGAŠ was born on November 21, 1991, in Čapljina, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He completed his undergraduate and master’s studies at the Faculty of Applied Arts in Belgrade, Department of Animation, in 2015, in the class of Professor Rastko Ćirić.
He is the author of five animated films: The Hound (H.P. Lovecraft) (currently in production); Smrt Majke Jugovića (2019), ISKON Anima Aeternam (2015), Vis Dubium (2014), and Sizif nosi Sizifa (2013), which have been screened and awarded at numerous festivals, including the Grand Prix and Golden Plaque at the 63rd Belgrade Documentary and Short Film Festival (2016), Best Animated Film Award at Student Cuts 2015 (Maribor, Slovenia), Athens ANIMFEST 2015, the Raiffeisen CLUB Award for Best Young Artist, and the Faculty of Applied Arts Award from the Beta and Rista Vukanović Fund for outstanding achievement in graphics during undergraduate studies.
He collaborates with animation festivals in Serbia (Balkanima, Animator Fest, Animanima), as well as the One-Minute Film Festival MR. Vorky. He is active in the field of animated music videos, collaborating with domestic artists including Realma, Nula, Stain, Sicksoul, and Poez11a. He composes music for his animated films and works in 3D design. He currently lives and works in Bor as an instructor in digital graphics.



DUŠAN SIMIĆ is a music producer dedicated to exploring the expressive possibilities of classical and contemporary music. He earned his degree in Music Theory at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade in the class of Prof. Dr. Ivan Brkljačić, and subsequently completed his degree in Music Production at the same institution, where he further developed his artistic expression under the mentorship of Prof. Dr. Marko Stojanović.
Throughout his career, he has participated in numerous festivals and concert venues in Serbia, collaborating with distinguished artists and ensembles (Belgrade Guitar District, ALNO Duo, KaNa Piano Duo, the Artistic Ensemble of the Ministry of Defense “Stanislav Binički”; Zoran Mulić, Vladimir Gligorić, Stanko Simić, Biljana Todorović, Ivan Bašić, and others).
His work is characterized by carefully shaped technical precision and deep musical sensitivity. In addition to his production activities, he is also active as an educator in the Music Production and Sound Design program at the Mokranjac Music School in Belgrade and as a promoter of art music, dedicated to passing on knowledge and inspiration to new generations.



JAN HAJŠEN (Slovenia) is a musician and audiovisual artist with over a decade of experience in recording, editing, and independent production. He began as a self-taught electric guitarist and later developed his skills in jazz guitar, audio recording, and video production. He is actively engaged in the cultural field as a live sound engineer, music session producer, studio musician, and producer. In collaboration with established artists, he creates visually distinctive and technically refined content.

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