This year’s Borealis commission was composed by the acclaimed Sámi composer, musician, and joiker Sara Marielle Gaup.

Nana Nannán – Solid Soil is a work anchored in solid soil and deeply connected to nature. Gaup’s process has involved listening closely to the natural world around her in Sápmi, discovering the luohti (melodies) of natural elements she had not yet learned. This reciprocal communication between people, places, entities, and other beings translates the energies of the environment into music.

The work is rooted in the soundworld of Gaup’s raw joik style, which allows her to connect with older tradition-bearers while simultaneously forging new musical pathways. As a cyclical form of expression, joik -luohti allows the work to reflect continuity and renewal.

Nana Nannán – Solid Soil embodies Gaup’s dialogue with nature and was created specifically for the intimate listening Jiennagoahti as a space offers, inviting audiences to engage closely with the work and the surrounding environment.

Commissioned by Borealis with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 2023 report as a backdrop, the project reflects Borealis’ ongoing commitment to exploring Sámi sonic experimentalism and demonstrates how new forms of sound and music can engage with the resurgence of culture and language following colonial policies of erasure.