Sonic Island

Hai Art is an arts organization based on the island of Hailuoto in northern Finland. It's main practice is artistic intervention in social and public space via mixed media and sound art. In 2012 Hai Art produced an international arts conference, "Wind As Context: Remoteness, arts and diversity," to lay the foundation for their off-the-grid practice. Subsequently Hai Art hosted more than ten international artist-in-residencies (Sound Room, Sonic Bikes, Anchorhold, Kiemura snow and sound sculpture, Sound Map Hailuoto iOS app, Sonic Boat Journey, Organum acoustic sculpture), workshops, seminars, and retreats. Hai Art aims to inspire small communities and remote living, critically challenges it's prejudices, and builds meaningful content to experience. The actual artworks inspire discourse, communication, and an unexpected perception from a rural perspective. The context is everything that is present on the island. Hai Art runs a local children's program with the Hailuoto iPad Orchestra and a media lab for locals in the village. It organizes a community sound choir called Kaiku (echo) that imitates the field. Slowly, a vision of a "Sonic Island" is forming to accompany many other identities, and starting a subtle conversation with the planet. A poetic voice out of a remote landscape engaging considerations of identity, diversity, and imagination. This CD contains audio documentations of works produced by Hai Art between 2012 and 2015. All projects are curated by Antye Greie-Ripatti (AGF), who also edited and compiled this CD.