THE GOLDEN AGE of the Ljubljana Festival (2013-2022) is an exhibition of photomontages by Alenka SLAVINEC from the creme de la creme of outstanding Ljubljana Festival events held from 2013 to 2022, and it represents the continuation of Plečnik’s Symphony of Križanke from 2012, marking the 60th anniversary of the Festival.

The theme of THE GOLDEN AGE is visualising the energy that was released during the first-class Ljubljana Festival events that took place from 2013 to 2022, and is at the same time universal, as expressed in the universe’s golden ratio. The emphasis is on the awareness of oneness, the importance of live events, transformations, the co-creation Ljubljana Festival vibrations and frequencies, the expression of emotions and energy felt through music portrayed in colours, invisible forces that can be sensed in live events: this is the “vibe“ frequency that leads to catharsis in the “wow effect”, which is a permanent feature of Ljubljana Festival.

The photomontages will lead you down the paths of colours into symphonies, operas, stories and many other delights besides. Allow yourself to be enticed by the details, stories or art critiques that can be accessed via the code under the exhibited montage. A big thank you to all the photographers who allowed me to model the 5D view and who reminded me that together we can create something new from a different perspective, with the awareness that nothing would be as it is in this exhibition if there had not been that very photo, word or assistance. Creativity, like the 5th dimension, is the invisible but essential energy of life, beauty, happiness, love, feeling of acceptance, oneness, joy and friendship, which can be harmonised by art forms such as music, theatre, musicals, concert, opera, ballet – everything that has the power to identify us with ourselves and with others at the same time, unites us and allows us to be with ourselves with all the emotions and experiences that are uncompromisingly offered and put into practice by life. Happy are they who discover that they themselves are the creators of everything internal and external, and that they still have the choice when on the outside it may seem that they don’t. All decisions are based on the two basic emotions of fear and love.

Festival Ljubljana is a form that possesses much love, which has preserved its continuity for 70 years with new achievements every year. The festival vibrates with excellence, cooperation, support, recognition, growth, progress, beauty, love of life, art, joy, praise, creativity and the creation of new dreams, which soon become reality because we dream them together, as does the City of Ljubljana along with the Ljubljana Festival’s vision, which has now been led for 30 years by the outstanding manager, artistic director and musician Darko Brlek. I have also been cooperating with Ljubljana Festival for 11 years, beginning with the Lipizzaner horses, and as their ambassador I held my first exhibition entitled SLOVENIA IN US Lipizzaner Horses by Alenka SLAVINEC (2011), followed by PLEČNIK’S SYMPHONY OF KRIŽANKE (2012) and SILIAMMM performance photography 2018 with the Art Colony. Numbers are important and at the same time in the 5th dimension of essence, the 5th element of music, we are all one in the harmony of infinity, the symphony, one with nature in the transformation of the elements water, air, earth and fire. We have been reminded of just how strongly we depend on the invisible by the pandemic, which highlighted the importance of the physical presence of man, being of one heart, human contact, the co-creation of life, vitality, the presence of spectators and performers, supporters and of course the teams of organisers and the media. Trust came to the fore.

The purpose of art is catharsis and to place man in the present moment, so he can remember and at the same time forget his everyday worries to focus on the most essential values, emotions and parts of life, such as birth, death, love, trust, betrayal, marriage, adultery, power, pride, social responsibility, scheming and competition. Humanity has entered a golden age of consciousness, after many prophets, and only the awareness of oneness will take us into true peace, harmony, and self-sufficiency – all we have to do is remember that we are energy. Do you remember the musical Hair and the Age of Aquarius?

THE GOLDEN AGE is an invitation to co-create both your and our experiences and to raise awareness about oneness and co-dependency; it is about the power of cooperation and co-creation, an invitation to think about when our life flows like water, when we are fire that gives warmth or burns everything, when we are fresh air and when we feel cramped and out of breath, and when are we earth that is filled with heavy secrets and the unsprouted seeds of potential? When does percussion remind us of horror and the earth, when do wind instruments make us think of lightness, when and why do string instruments remind us of the heart, plucked instruments? And with which colours do we associate them in our thoughts and feel the colour of the voice? Everything is energy and using different tools we extol everything we have in common, love and hate and thousands of shades of this duality, and it is not until we realise we are one that we become free and eternal like music, which is here and now, but you cannot grasp it because it is energy, vibration and frequency.

Life is magic, let us be aware that we are co-creators every step of the way, at each moment, and that everything begins with our script, our monologue when we are alone, and yet it is even more beautiful when we share ourselves with others.

This year’s Ljubljana Festival opens with Slovenian pop-songs, with the “POWER OF THE WORD”, but we again have the opportunity to co-create with the simple word ABRAKADABRA (I CREATE AS I SPEAK):

“The year 2022 is a time for celebrating life here and now, together with you and co-creating THE GOLDEN AGE of the Ljubljana Festival through the notes of Beethoven’s Ode to Joy, hidden in 80 photomontages of THE GOLDEN AGE on the Jakopič Promenade, while admiring past and future Ljubljana Festival events. Welcome to the 5th dimension of oneness.”

Alenka SLAVINEC