Author: Manca Baša
Title of work: Sredi zvezd, noč in dan (Among the Stars, Night and Day)
Mentors: Assistant dr. Tanja Medved, Assoc. Prof. Boris Beja

The illustration created by Manca Baša, a master’s student of Graphic and Interactive Communications, stems from a reflection on the image of the soldier, which is often marked by violence and fear in the collective consciousness. Soldiers are frequently understood as impersonal actors in the carnage of war, overlooking the fact that individuals are hidden beneath the uniforms.

The author reshaped and upgraded the image of the uniformed individual with an audio soundtrack, filling us with hope while referentially depicting the Allies who heralded the end of World War II with D-Day. The depicted soldier does not hold a weapon in his hands, but rather a musical instrument that replaced the carnage of war with the melodiousness of progress, part of which in the post-war era was also graphic design. The watercolor blending of the blues of the sky, in which the soldier-musician protagonist is placed, is complemented by a typographic inscription borrowed from the verses of a Slovenian pop song (popevka). The song *Zemlja pleše* (The Earth Dances) was performed for the first time at the first Slovenska popevka festival in 1962. The music was composed by Mojmir Sepe, and the lyrics were written by Gregor Strniša. We replaced “Earth” in the lyrics with “war,” aiming to point out that despite celebrating peace and victory over the occupiers, our planet still dances to the rhythm of wars, carnage, and suffering.

The soldier in the illustration holds a musical instrument instead of a weapon. Marked on the anniversary of the end of WWII, this also commemorates the founding of the Dance Orchestra at Radio Ljubljana in 1945, today’s Big Band RTV Slovenia. The element of destruction and intimidation is replaced by the melodiousness of music, symbolizing a silent desire for peace, freedom, and a world beyond violence. The visual art artwork was also transformed from a poster into an animation in which the soldier flees from war, wishing to replace the sounds of weapons with the sounds of music, and marching with dancing. Music and movement become a space of connection where the rhythm of life is not dictated by violence, but by peace.

The music track for the animated art project was contributed by Julijan Andrejaš and Timotej Duvnjak, providing a new experience for the viewer and enhancing the visual message and our perception. Manca Baša’s artistic interpretation of the end of World War II establishes a dialogue between classic artistic expression characteristic of post-war graphic design and modern communication approaches and tools. By using animation and streaming content in public spaces, the work connects the designer’s personal address with the clients and viewers as the final addressees of the message. Despite the lightness and playfulness of the animated soldier, the restless reality of the world remains in the foreground—the earth still “dances” in the hands of global decision-makers.

*Sredi zvezd, noč in dan*, which was multiplied and printed in an enlarged size on textile for the exhibition opportunity, was created in the course Visual Art Analysis of Graphic Products 2 at the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering, Department of Textiles, Graphics and Design, Chair of Information and Graphic Technology, in the academic year 2025/2026.

Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering, University of Ljubljana · student work · mentors: Boris Beja, dr. Tanja Medved