sound art

The Kaivos festival, held at the disused copper mine in Outokumpu, brought to this unique environment a serving of musical, visual and performance art that did strange things to time – being experienced by audience members variously as a meditation, a swim in the ice or a profound experience of communing with nature.

Antye Greie-Ripatti, an artist whose work spans many genres and continents, hosts a sonic experimentation workshop for children in Helsinki in late June. “Listening and sound should be taught at an early age, as well as the creative use of technology – and critical, resistant thinking about it,” she says.

In April 2018 the Tampere Biennale festival of contemporary Finnish music will highlight “free radicals”. Bringing together contemporary music enthusiasts and professionals, this year’s Biennale showcases artistic freedom, fringe art, artistic interaction and a record number of new works.

My feeling is that socially active art may be both in-your-face and more subtly influencing; it may mix up meanings in brutal ways, mashing them up, exploring impossible worlds and shaking us up from unheard-of angles.

Interesting things happen in the borderlands between music and sound art. Sub-genres of electronic music, field recordings, studies in improvisation and graphic notation and sound installations continue to open up new pathways for musicians in all genres.

The Tampere Biennale celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. Launched in 1986 and held in April in even-numbered years, its profile is that of a domestic review of contemporary classical music, with commissioned works and premieres. It alternates with Musica nova Helsinki, which is more international in content and is held in odd-numbered years.