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Svalbard – En Reise Long Taim, 2024, performance with audience

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Before there was language, there was sound. The human mouth, our first musical instrument, communicated not only with others but also with the surrounding environment. Language, as we know it, is merely a fragment of communication. Intonation, vocal expression, and embodied gestures are equally vital elements in how we convey and interpret meaning today.

Each of us inhabits a deeply personal reality, perceiving the world through what could be described as a “controlled hallucination.” This inherent subjectivity limits our ability to fully understand one another, let alone the environment. While human voices—though not always fully understood—still reach us, the subtle, whispering voices of nature often go unheard.

Naitok invites its audience to engage with the unfamiliar, to resist the impulse for instant comprehension, and to embrace the complexity of listening. This performance is not about clarity or answers; rather, it is about dwelling in ambiguity and recognizing that not all communication is meant to be fully grasped. Naitok calls for a deeper, more instinctual mode of listening—one attuned to resonance, silence, and the unspoken nuances of communication that transcend language.

At its core, Naitok is an exploration of how we relate to one another, the environment, and time itself. In a world where disconnection is pervasive, it stands as a metaphor for the gaps in communication—between what we say and what is heard, between the Earth’s signals and our limited capacity to interpret them. It highlights the challenges of truly hearing one another and, more profoundly, the difficulty of understanding the Earth’s quieter, more expansive language.

The language of Naitok resists immediate translation or simple conclusions. It serves as a reminder of the profound, layered history of places like Svalbard, whose geological narrative spans hundreds of millions of years—an unfathomable scale for human comprehension. Listening to Svalbard’s story through Naitok means confronting the unknown and accepting that some stories are too vast for human language to contain.

As you experience Naitok, release the need for certainty. Embrace the discomfort of listening without fully understanding, witnessing without knowing, and experiencing without resolving. In doing so, you engage in mindful listening—a practice that mirrors the Earth’s slow unfolding across millennia and invites reflection on our role within this vast narrative.

Naitok is a reminder of the untold, intricate stories that shape our existence, connecting us to one another and to a planet whose history far exceeds our own. Through this performance, my hope is to draw you closer to the layers of existence we often overlook and to remind you that, sometimes, listening is more about the journey than the destination.

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"Naitok" combines Tok Pisin with Norwegian.
It has a simplified grammar and vocabulary while using elements from both languages to create an accessible blend.

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