Boalno

An immersive sound experience placing audiences in the centre of 3,000 reindeer as they circle during the annual corral in the indigenous-governed Sápmi area of the Arctic.

Composed using audio recorded at the top of Boalnotjåhkkå mountain during May 2022.The recordings are made using 360 degree spatial microphones inside of the corral, listening to thousands of reindeers moving together, their clicking hooves and barks creating a unique rhythm.

Using an array of speakers Boalno rebuilds this spatial environment, playing both ambisonic and stereo parabolic array, momentarily transforming another space and transporting audiences to this distant landscape.

Boalno was created by Invisible Flock recorded in collaboration with Jenni Laiti and Carl-Johan Utsi.

First presented as part of the Land Body Ecologies Festival, hosted by Wellcome Collection and supported by the Wellcome Trust.

Images Copyright © Carl -Johan Utsi and Invisible Flock

For more context listen to our Land Body Ecologies podcast; Episode 3, The End of This World which journeys through Sápmi, from Jåhkåmåhkke to Vájsáluokta.

Amid the sacred relationship between the Sámi people and the reindeer, a story of a reindeer corral carried out on top of a mountain features a journey of several losses: of beings, of entire landscapes, and of cultural practices.