Another iteration is Shepherd Bells in Ballaban. It is a sonic moment from a remote area near Ballaban, Albania recorded while on an excursion with a local shepherdess and her herd. It was selected as part of ICOSA Art Collective’s Soundscapes Project in Austin Texas, playing sunrise to sunset there from 25 November until 3 January 2025. You can listen to the bells on my Soundcloud.

Shepherd Bells in Ballaban

From Bimbi:

“I tell my friends in New York that I’m going to Church when I travel to rural Albania. The bells worn by the sheep and goats ring melodically through the mountains and fields while I walk through an olive grove, drink fresh, cold water from a spout on the side of a trail, and kick up smells of sage, rosemary, thyme, and chamomile. It is a spiritual experience.

The shepherds dress their flocks with the bells so that the sheep and goats can warn each other, the dogs, and their shepherds of an approaching threat, usually a wolf. If the bells start ringing quickly and chaotically, the dogs know to go into attack mode. This is not the whole story, however. This is the romanticized version. While the echo of the bells permeates throughout the mountains, protecting the cute goats and silly sheep, they are also a harbinger of danger. The dogs view humans as a threat, too, and sometimes turn vicious towards people. If you hear the bells, it is advised to group together and collect big sticks and rocks just in case the dogs are feeling feisty. But, right now, you can enjoy this village music safely.

My intention for this sonic piece is to generate a gentle moment where the listener can daydream and ponder other possibilities. In many cultures, bells are used in ritual to clear the mind and space, and allow the divine to enter. These bells come from a rural, bucolic context, and to some degree represent a pre-industrial era. Before the systematic slaughter of meat manufacturing and the widespread destruction of land, herds traversed terrain releasing delightful music. People had a symbiotic relationship with the animals and land that provided them with food and livelihood. I want this work to help us remember that.”

The burial

The Burial is a two channel installation of a ritual by Angel, excerpt below. It was part of The Reservoir exhibition in 2025 at Bulevard Art and Media Institute in Tirana, Albania, curated by Silvi Naçi, Shaunak Kumbani, and Valentina Bonizzi. Excerpt below.