LILIRA: SOUNDSCAPES OF INUKJUAK

"Lilira" is the Inuttitut word used to describe a respectful and slightly nervous feeling towards nature.

Nimalan Yoganathan is the first artist to be funded by Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Quebec's recently established Nunavik Fund for the Arts and Literature program. As a result, he participated in an artist residency in Inukjuak, Nunavik during July and August 2009. He was studying and recording the sonic environment to gain insight into the richness of Inuit culture. This included both natural sounds such as the wind and huskies, as well as cultural sounds including carvers at work, throat singing, and the intricate rhythms of the Inuttitut language. These field recordings serve as the compositional foundation for this radio art piece.

Listeners are immersed within evolving cultural portraits of Inukjuak. Field recordings are sometimes complemented by electronic gestures in an attempt to convey the inherent musicality hidden throughout this vast Arctic landscape.  Man-made synthesized sounds harmonize with and mimic the timbral and rhythmic properties of Inukjuak's soundscapes, similar to how Inuit throat singing often employs the human body in imitating the songs of geese and mosquitoes.

The social and spiritual significance of sounds and how aural cues are used in Inuit cultural practices such as hunting and fishing serve as narratives in this work. As part of his residency, Nimalan also led weekly sound art workshops for youths between age 13 and 16, during which they were taught outdoor field recording techniques. Each youth was given their own digital recorder to document their sound walks around the community. Nimalan has included portions of their field recordings in this installation so as to juxtapose their sonic perceptions with those of his own.

All material heard between 8:41 and 15:14 of this piece was recorded by the youths from the workshops.

Special thanks to: Tommy, Tukai and Matt (workshop participants), Nunavimmi Pigiuravik School, Avataq Cultural Institute, and Makivik Corporation

BIO
Nimalan Yoganathan is a Montreal sound artist and musician. He completed his  studies in Electrical Engineering at McGill University in 2004 and recently graduated  from Concordia University’s Electroacoustic Music program. He currently focuses on the  integration of field recordings into his multimedia works from his travels through bustling cities, desolate
landscapes, and spiritual sites. In a time when global communities are progressively being plagued by noise pollution, Nimalan  believes it is crucial to preserve and accentuate the subtle but musical sounds hidden all  around us. Nimalan is also involved with radio production, installation art, and sound design  for film, dance, and theatre. He has released experimental Dub and Hip-Hop albums on  labels including Le Son 666 and Panospria (No_Type). His works have been disseminated at numerous festivals and venues including MUTEK, Suoni per il Popolo, Pop Montreal, Art’s Birthday, OBORO, and Darling Foundry.