Exhibitions & Lectures
INTERNATIONAL FORUM FOR ARTISTIC RESEARCH
17th Conference of the Society for Artistic Research (SAR)
23.–26.6.2026 University of Galway, Galway Ireland
25.6.2026 10:10 AM, Pia Siirala Presentation
The Chukchi Personal Song as a Reflection of Musical Thought
My post-doctoral artistic research, “The Chukchi Personal Song as a Reflection of Musical Thought”, is a continuation of my PhD “Aspects of hearing the music of the indigenous peoples in north-eastern Siberia” completed at the Sibelius Academy, University of the Arts, Helsinki. My research is a musical expedition into the Chukchi Personal Song. It does not mean simply listening, but rather the understanding created by the interaction of ambiguous and often contradictory hearing and music making. At the core of the research is aural perception and the creation of music based on this. Composing and improvisation are my primary research methods, but I also use film, photography and storytelling.
FIELD TRIPS IN THE CHUKCHI LANDS – Exhibition 4.1.–19.3.2026 in Koli Nature Centre Ukko, Finland
Photographs, Excerpts from the Field Diaries: Pia Siirala, Picture frames: Matti Kautonen
Pia Siirala's photo exhibition tells the story about about the Arctic Indigenous Chukchi people, who live in northeastern Siberia. Between 2004 and 2019, Pia Siirala made seven field trips to northeastern Siberia, where she became acquainted with the singing traditions of the indigenous peoples of Sakhalin, Kamchatka, and Chukotka and recorded approximately 1,400 songs. The photographs in the exhibition are mainly portraits of the singers whom she recorded on her field trips. The photographs are given additional meaning by texts taken from her travel diaries.
The frames for the photographs are made from deadwood pine branches that are collected from a rocky forest after clear cutting. Pia Siirala recounts: "For years this particular forest in Finland has been the place where my sister and I have picked berries and mushrooms every summer and my first composition, based on the Paleo-Siberian indigenous music, was born in it. We fought for that forest and tried to stop the clear cutting, by searching for signs of any remaining endangered flying squirrels. This would have stopped the destruction of the forest. We managed to prevent the cutting on the steepest cliffs. After the destruction I was drawn back to the forest."
The branches are a reminder of the firewood that nomadic reindeer herders collect, but at the same time they symbolise the endangered indigenous cultures and the disappearance of wilderness.
2.10.2025, 15:00 a Lecture in World Heritage Gateway, Replotvägen 2, Korsholm, Finland
1.10.–2.11.2025
Arte Mare, World Heritage Gateway, Replotvägen 2, Korsholm, Finland
Pia Siirala – THE FLOW OF MUSIC
A multimedia exhibition – a story about fieldtrips to northeastern Siberia, to the lands of the Chukchi
The Flow of Music Multimedia Exhibition recounts with pictures, sounds and words, violinist Pia Siirala's field trips trips to the lands of the Chukchi in Chukotka and Kamchatka. Between 2004-2019, Siirala made seven field trips to northeastern Siberia, where she became acquainted with the indigenous singing traditions in Sakhalin, Kamchatka and Chukotka, recording about 1400 songs.
The 24 photographs in the Flow of Music exhibition are, for the most part, photographs of the Chukchi singers whom Pia Siirala met during her field trips in northeastern Siberia. The texts, which are excerpts from her field diaries, take on added meaning when accompanied by her photographs. The soundscape of the exhibition space is very specific. In it one can hear the Personal Songs of the singers in the photographs, as well as the sounds of nature and the rhythm of life in the Siberian Arctic nomadic people's environment. Exhibition visitors also get a glimpse into the everyday life of four Chukchi Elders in the video filmed by Siirala. The violin improvisation reflects the author’s inner journey into the life and music of these singers.
1.8.–31.8 2025 Exhibition – Field tirps to north-eastern Siberia in Herttoniemi Library, Helsinki
4.4.–1.6.2025 The Flow of Music Multimedia Exhibition Riihisaari museum Savonlinna, Finland
Tuesday 27.5.2025 at 6pm. A Lecture-recital in Riihisaari museum, Savonlinna, 2nd floor
Wednesday 4.6.2025 at 5–7pm. Seeking the Personal Song on Field trips in northeastern Siberia
A lecture and a film showing in Helsinki, Rikhardinkatu Library, Ture meeting room, 1st floor.
3.6.–31.7.2027 Field trips to north-eastern Siberia photography exhibition, Rikhardinkatu Library, Helsinki
3.6.–30.6.2027 Field tirps to north-eastern Siberia photography exhibition, Pasila Library, Helsinki
