Circumpolar Art as Icebreaker: Platform for Arctic Voices

Title Sounds of Culture: Indigenous Vocal Heritage

Description Sound is a powerful carrier of memory, identity, and emotion. It shapes the way we experience the world, connecting us to places, people, and histories. In the Arctic, where vast landscapes stretch beyond the horizon, sound travels far – whether in the rhythm of a drum, the call of an animal, the howling wind, or the voices of those who sing, chant, and share their stories. These vocal traditions, passed down through generations, are more than music; they are expressions of knowledge, survival, and deep relationships with the land and its spirits. Indigenous vocal heritage in the Arctic is diverse, spanning from the mesmerizing katajjait (throat singing) of Inuit women to the rhythmic chants and songs of Sámi joikers and other circumpolar Peoples. These traditions are shaped by the environment – imitating the sounds of wind, water, and animals – or carrying the oral histories, myths, and emotions of their communities. They are also markers of identity, resilience, and resistance, as many of these traditions were once suppressed under colonial rule but have endured through cultural strength and revitalization efforts. But sound is not only about what we hear – it is also about silence. The Arctic is often perceived as a silent place, yet this silence is filled with meaning. It is the space between sounds, the moment of stillness before a voice rises, the deep listening required to understand one’s surroundings. In Arctic Indigenous cultures, silence is not emptiness but presence – an awareness of the land, the spirits, and the echoes of those who came before. This exhibition invites you to experience sound not only as something to be heard but as something to be felt. Through immersive acoustic landscapes and evocative imagery, we explore the deep interconnection between sound, nature, culture, and place. Listen closely, and you will hear the voices of the Arctic – voices carried by wind and water, voices shaped by silence, voices that continue to resonate, carrying the stories of the past into the present and beyond.

Place Museum of Contemporary Circumpolar Art, Bern, Switzerland

Date 27. März 2025, 17:00

Project Type Tour