Defend and Protect

Defend and Protect, Zagreb, 2024. Photo by Boris Cvjetanović

Defend and Protect is a multilayered piece that questions what we can do to protect ourselves in the event of military conflict. 

As a Sarajevan observing the war in Ukraine and genocide in Gaza from the UK where I am currently based, I am trying to question my own sense of safety and limited agency that we have faced with the military threats, in particular, from military drones. 

For the last decade, I have been dreaming of drones swarming near the windows of my flat in Sarajevo in what can only be described as nightmarish responses to the world plummeting into division and conflicts. While reading the accounts of drone attack survivors, the triggering potential of drone noise becomes acutely present, even if, for non-survivor ears, they sound like planes, lawnmowers, chainsaws, or simply a high-pitched irritant.

The piece takes the form of a hand-made bulletproof vest, made from heavy-duty bags filled with over 25 kg of soil, that I wear during the walks. The suit is also equipped with a Bluetooth speaker that emits the sounds of military drones currently used in Ukraine and the Middle East. Additionally, I record this augmented soundscape from my perspective using binaural microphones hidden under my hood.

Delivered by hours of walking, Defend and Protect is a sonic action in public spaces that, on a more personal level, allows space for personal contemplation and listening in solidarity with those living under current threats. The work explores personal and sensory thresholds through endurance-based practice that intervenes in urban environments.

Defend and Protect was curated by Jon Blackwood for exhibition Discomfited Futures held at the Institute for Contemporary Art Zagreb in 2024 and Cultural Centre Jadro in Skopje in 2025.