IEVA JAKUSA - TUNED VOICES

Tuned Voices is an audiovisual installation exploring how traditional culture is often perceived as orderly and disciplined, shaped to serve national identity. Focusing on Pūt, vējiņi (Blow, Wind), a Latvian folk song originally sung in homes and taverns and later arranged in 1884 by Andrejs Jurjāns into a grand choral composition, the work juxtaposes institutionalised choral versions with nine individual folk singers performing personal renditions rooted in oral tradition. Recorded separately and mechanically aligned in post-production, each voice begins raw and authentic before being gradually autotuned and synchronised, reflecting the flattening and standardisation imposed on living traditions. The installation highlights the tension between tradition and nationalism, reclaiming folklore as plural, unfixed, and resistant to uniformity.

Ieva Jakusa (Latvia, 1996) is a visual artist and MA graduate in Non-Linear Narrative from the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague. Her practice explores the intersections of sound, image, and storytelling, often examining how cultural traditions and narratives are shaped, mediated, and transformed within social and institutional frameworks.

This work was selected as part of Youngbloods, GOGBOT’s platform highlighting promising recent graduates.