Hai Art is an arts organization based on the island of Hailuoto in northern Finland. Main practice is artistic intervention in social and public space via mixed media & 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 10 international Artist-in-residencies [Sound Room, Sonic Bikes, ‘Anchorhold’, Snow Sound Sculpture ‘Kiemura’, ‘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 its prejudices and builds meaningful content to experience. The actual art works aspire 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 program with the iPad Orchestra Hailuoto and a Media Lab for locals in the village. It organizes a community sound choir called Kaiku [echo] which imitates the field.

Slowly a vision of a ‘Sonic Island’ is forming to accompany many other identities existing. It is starting a subtle conversation with the planet. A poetic voice out of a remote landscape applying considerations of identity, diversity and imagination.

This CD contains audio documentations of works produced by Hai Art between 2012-2015. All projects are curated by Antye Greie-Ripatti [AGF] who also edited and compiled this CD and co-releases on AGF Producktion.

Track by Track:

Elements :: Kaiku is a community choir that imitates the 'field'. This recording was made in a hunters hut during winter of 2012.

What If :: Hailuoto based violonist & farmer Sanna Ilmola-Ranta proposed to play the Sound Room with her violin bow. The bow effects the 7 m long strings and resonates in the wooden building.

Stones :: Ryoko Akama [JP/UK] performed a 63km long open sea boat trip to play her geiger counter based score 'Stones' to the ocean between Hailuoto and the future nuclear power plant site Pyhäjoki in 2013.

Line/Tilt - Calm/Storm :: "Carsten Stabenow's [DE] installation 'tilt/line' initiated the Sound Room. This edit plays out 2 scenarios, a windstill calm day and a version recorded during a strong storm. 

The Marja Trio :: This edit is an extract of 'The Marja Trio', a Sonic Bike work for Hailuoto by Kaffe Matthews [UK] 2013.

Magenta Duet :: Composer Mitchell Mollison [AUS] visited Hailuoto and experimented with field recordings and feedback in the acoustic sculpture Organum in 2014. 

Pulsar Kite at Pöllännokka :: Juan Duarte Regino's [MEX/FI] 'Pulsar Kite' explores sonic augmentation by playing with a kite to explore generative processes in sound and interface control.   Impulse :: Anja Erdmann [DE] used small motors, objects, electromagnets and Ardruino to prepare the Sound Room in 2013. 

Anchorhold Song :: Performance artist Marcus Coates [UK] and AGF [DE/FI] screamed together in the Anchorhold, an art work by Grizedale Arts. The voices were multiplied and layerd for this song. 

Avarus :: The iPad Orchestra Hailuoto are 7-14 year old children. Recently published NASA library sounds were sampled and played back by Nuutti, Lumi & Oona with the apps: SingingFingers, iMPC, Synthmate and SQRT. 

Sine Waves in the Cow Barn :: Movement artist Eija Ranta [FI] staged 'Animality & Vulnerability - A Dance For Cows' on the Kujala farm in 2013. This recording is an extract from the effort to communicate with the cows.   Our Field :: Hai Art built an iOS app with Juan D. Regino and the local elementary school based on field recordings of the island.