Bringing together experimental musical voices from across Sápmi, Birgon Biergu – Gula! Márrá!, takes over Bergen Kjøtt for an evening of new sounds and performance rooted in Sámi culture, language and ways of being together. Co-curated by Elina Waage Mikalsen, the evening weaves together eating, film and live performances from Wimme&Rinne, Leagus, Issát Sámmol, Rádio-JusSunná and Gangere, topped off with a special DJ set from Niilas. 

The duo project of legendary Sámi experimenter Wimme Saari, Wimme & Rinne is where his joik based vocal practice meets the extended textural techniques of long time collaborator, bass clarinet player Tapani Rinne and sound designer Aleksi Myllykoski. Based in Romssa/Tromsø, Leagus are Sámi pianist Herborg Rundberg and Norwegian guitarist Kristian Svalestad Olstad, who draw on improvised music, psalm tones, and contemporary classical soundworlds alongside Herborg’s Sea Sámi sonic heritage to create an exploratory and complex sonic universe. Gangere is born out of a fluid artistic process between electronic musician Charlotte Bendiks and visual artist and musician Marita Isobel Solberg, where emotional and practical work merge. Together they are finding a musical language between themselves and the world, merging rhythms and voice. From Máze, musician and joiker Issát Sámmol performs on his unique string intrument juoigganas, specially designed to fit the tonal scale of the traditional Sámi joik, and Rádio-JusSunná presents their queer Sámi futurism in ASMR film form. Bergen born and Borealis alumnus Niilas returns home to round out the evening with a DJ set drawing on both his deep love of experimental electronic music and his Sámi heritage.

Gula! Márrá! is a call in Northern Sámi to listen to the roaring, surging of the water, and Birgon Biergu is the Northern Sámi translation of tonight’s venue Bergen Kjøtt.