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FINLAND
Ouraluoto island at Oura archipelago, Merikarvia and other islands at Bothnian Sea
Chorus sinensis narrates a story of Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax sinensis), a sea bird species that lives and nests in the coastal islands of Finland and other countries sharing the Baltic Sea. It is a protected bird species that due to its living habits, provokes fierce debate and hate among human populations living in the neighborhood.
Chorus sinensis will be an audiovisual choral work, combining a musical piece for an amateur choir by Lau Nau with audiovisual recordings by Finnish photographer and artist Jan Eerala. Eerala has dedicated his time since years in documenting the life phenomena and landscapes of the sea in photographs, videos and sound recordings near his living place at Makholma, Pori.
Lau Nau alias Laura Naukkarinen, Finnish composer, performer and sound artist is invited to create and produce a piece reflecting the co-existence of Great Cormorants and people. The work group is complemented by the expertise of Finnish literary scholar Karoliina Lummaa, specialized in bird literature, Aleksi Lehikoinen, bird researcher and curator at Finnish Museum of Natural History (Luomus) and Ulla Taipale, art curator who often builds bridges between artistic and natural-scientific communities.
The work group will gather to work together in two intensive “Nests” in summers 2020-21. In July 2020 the nest will happen in an outer island at Bothnian Sea called Ouraluoto. Maybe the biggest Great Cormorant colony ever in Finland, calculated in 4120 nests (2016), was obstructed and pushed away from their nesting area through noise and scarecrows during the last couple of years. This year 2020 the biggest colony in Finland can be found in front of Rauma Port.
The finalized work will be exhibited in different formats, that can be shown as an installation in the exhibition, online, or as a live concert.
Chorus sinensis is curated by Ulla Taipale.
The project is supported by Nordic Culture Point and Arts Council of Satakunta.
