Opening performance at Borealis 2026: Vedøya – Laments to the birdmountain who lost their voice
Published
Presented in collaboration with BEK at Borealis, Vedøya – Laments to the birdmountain who lost their voice opens Borealis 2026 with a powerful, multidisciplinary stage work exploring the dramatic silencing of one of Northern Europe’s richest seabird colonies. Developed from Elin Már Øyen Vister’s long-term research project Soundscape Røst, the performance weaves together music, film, dance, field recordings and storytelling in a poetic reflection on loss, memory and ecological change.
11.03. Åpningsforestilling
19:30–21:30
Cornerteateret
10.03. Generalprøveforestilling
17:30–19:30
Cornerteateret
World Premiere, read more and buy tickets on Borealis’ website
This year’s Borealis festival opens with a sensuous music and performing arts production, where powerful expressions, beautiful visuals, and compelling soundscapes allow the audience to experience the story of the ancient seabird mountain, Vedøya.
This lyrical tribute to Vedøya on Røst in Nordland/Nordlánda, in Sápmi/Sábme, emerges from multidisciplinary artist Elin Már Øyen Vister’s long-term artistic research project Soundscape Røst, initiated in 2010. Through this project, Vister has followed and documented changes in the Røst archipelago’s soundscape and explored archival material from Norway and abroad. In the development of this production, Elin Már has also been working extensively in BEK’s video studio and project room.
The seabird mountain Vedøya was once one of Northern Europe’s most abundant breeding colonies for seabirds. At the height of its glory, the landscape was filled with a deafening cacophony of kittiwakes, puffins, guillemots, razorbills, and auks. The idea that this unique place could one day fall silent was unimaginable. Yet it happened, in spring 2019, the kittiwakes nested for the very last time, and the bustling life came to an end. Since then, silence has slowly spread across the Røst archipelago.
Vedøya – Laments to the birdmountain who lost their voice takes us on a journey through layers of time, where the mountain itself tells its ancient origin story. We hear about the first encounters with the seabirds and their ancestral mother, tjáhtjelådde maddo, who symbolises the relationship between humans and nature and about human encounters with the island up to the present day, marked by the critical decline of seabirds on Røst.
The performance allows the audience to experience Vedøya’s story through images, film, dance, field recordings, and music, from newly composed contemporary works to traditional Northern Norwegian songs and Sámi vocal traditions such as luohti and joik, complemented by poetic text, memories, and conversations. What unfolds on stage has been developed through a collaborative creative process, in direct engagement with the mountain, with its landscape, sounds, and stories that have taken shape there.
After the performance, the audience is invited to remain in the space with the performers to share impressions, thoughts, and feelings together, both in conversation and in silence. Anne Cecilie’s famous Røst fish soup and a vegetarian alternative will be served to warm our bodies. Together, we can reflect on what has unfolded on stage, process the loss of biodiversity we are witnessing, and perhaps sow a seed of hope.
Contributors
The contributors are listed in alphabetical order. All have participated as equal co-creators.
Zofia Jakubiec (PL) – costume design
Anne Cecilie Pedersen (NO) – storyteller and cook from Røst, performer
Anne Hege (USA) – composer, voice, performer
Anette Cecilie Danielsen (NO) – sewing
Eirin Hammari (NO) – producer
Elin Már Øyen Vister (NO) – artistic director, text, composer, sound, performer
Harald Bredholdt (DK/NO) – cinematic dramaturgy, film and video
Heiða Karine Jóhannesdóttir Mobeck (NO) – composer and musician (tuba)
Ingvild Austgulen (NO) – slam poet and performer
Jostein Stalheim (NO) – composer and musician (accordion)
Katarina Skår Lisa (NO/Sápmi) – choreography and dance
Kari Noreger (NO) – seabird masks
Lisa Dillan (NO) – composer and voice
Louisa Palmi (NO) – multi-channel sound playback and mixing assistance
Marius Kolbenstvedt (NO) – dramaturgy and text consultation
Mikael Rönnberg (NO/SE) – composer and musician (pump organ)
Ola Høyer (NO) – composer and musician (double bass)
Randiane Aalberg Sandboe (NO) – lighting design and scenographic elements
Risten Anine Gaup (NO/Sápmi) – composer and joiker/juoigi
Tale Næss (NO) – dramaturgy and direction
Image: Elin Már Øyen Vister/Borealis