The Flow of Music
The Flow of Music exhibition in Riihisaari museum Savonlinna, Finland 4.4.–1.6.2025
The Flow of Music 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.
