Kirsi Ihalainen
A sound artist and the CEO of Kelosound Oy
Kirsi Ihalainen is a sound artist, sound designer and an audio engineer from Espoo, Finland. She has graduated as Master of Arts from Aalto University, and as public arts specialist from post-master’s organised by Art University, Aalto University and University of Lapland.
“I wanted to create a forest to an inside space.”
-Kirsi Ihalainen
Sound installations
Spatial sound works are Kirsi’s passion, as they enable a large free nature sound concert and comprehensive sound-artistic space planning for a sound installation. Kirsi creates large sound installations that create forest and nature in the interior. Kirsi’s sound installations already have an international exhibition background.
Finnish Forest Frequencies
The sounds of the installation have been recorded in Finnish forests. The most heard sound frequencies of the forest have been selected from the recordings. These frequencies are played through the selected kelowood pieces. Each kelowood has its own frequency that it resonates the best. Kelo woods play and vibrate the nature frequencies. Together, the frequencies played by the wood pieces create a Finnish forest with hums and animal sounds in the space. Familiar Finnish animals make noises in the space in such a way that you can never predict from where and which animal sound will come next. There are two different versions of the installation, a 5-channel and an 8-channel version.
Installation has been exhibited in Iceland Reykjavik, Tokyo Japan, Helsinki-Vantaa airport and Culture house Annantalo in Helsinki. Installation was also selected to the worlds biggest art competition called ArtPrize in USA Michigan. From 1554 artists, Kirsi was also selected among the 25 artists who were awarded a scholarship by ArtPrize.
Mother Nature’s Call
The permanent installation located in Haltia Nature Center, Espoo, Finland, is a nature sound concert, created as a surround sound installation and consisting of four parts: fire, water, earth and air. Mother Nature reigns everywhere, wind is her breath, water her blood, earth her flesh and fire her heart. Mother Nature rules and summons these four elements and their energies each in turn, which together bring about all life in her realm of nature. Hear and feel Mother Nature’s call all around you.
Kirsi has created a comprehensive sound design for the sound installation. The installation contains 22 speakers in the space, 4 on the ceiling, 5 on the floor, 8 on the walls and on three kelo wood poles and on 2 soft stones. The floor and stones shake to the rhythm of the sound. 23 rd channel is a channel connected to the hearing aid (induction loop), which automatically plays when entering the space in the hearing aid at the same pace as the vibrations of the space. A path has also been planned for the space, along which you can also reach the space with a wheelchair. The floors are designed with different softnesses, so that you can also lie down and relax on the floor. The atmosphere in the space is also brought by the 4k screen on the ceiling, which shows the starry sky.
Soft movements and untamed sounds
Nature photographer Olli Lamminsalo and sound artist Kirsi Ihalainen decided to combine image and sound through movement! Olli and Kirsi met by the nature of Kuusamo while Kirsi was recording wild nature, and the idea of a joint exhibition was born, where the image gets a new dimension with the help of sound. It was decided that Kirsi’s sound installation “Finnish Forest Frequencies” would expand the space to include sound to Olli’s photos as well. Photos would come to life with sound and bring movement to life in the image. This is how the desire to create a space was born, where the image offers nature’s most beautiful, vivid, but quick moments as soft visual shots, and where the sound, on the other hand, presents a rarely heard soundscape and the untamedness of wild animals. This is how the exhibition is combined with photographs and sounds into a large spatial installation. The space installation creates a strong emotional space where the listener feels that he is in the middle of wild nature and experiences encounters with wild animals. The spatial work was exhibited at Arktikum in Rovaniemi and the name of the exhibition was “Soft Movements and Untamed Sounds”.
Individual sound works
The individual sound works are kelo wood works, each of which is dedicated to one of Finland’s traditional animals. The purpose of the works is to make the vocalisations of animals more familiar to people. Today, people have become alienated from nature, and it has become more difficult to recognise the sounds of animals and birds in particular. There are also rare sounds from animals that very few people see or hear. The works are accompanied by the sound of the traditional animal in question, as well as a mythological text description and a Kalevala poem related to the sound or behaviour of the animal in question. In the works, the material itself plays. The materials have been chosen in such a way that they are strongly related to the traditional animal.
Bear snuffle
A unique single sound piece for the bear’s scratched kelo wood, 2016. The sound piece plays the bear’s various vocalizations, snorts and roars.The work has been exhibited in “Sounds of the wild” exhibition at Galleria Huvila in 2016, Suomen Kädentaidot -fair design exhibition at Tampereen Messukeskus in 2017, “Sounds of the wild” exhibition at Sibelius house in 2021, and “Metsätöitä” exhibition at Kimmo Pyykkö art museum in 2023.
Beaver gnaw
A unique single sound piece to aspen trees gnawed by a beaver, 2016. The sound work plays the sounds of a beaver, e.g. gnawing, and a soundscape from its habitat. The work has been exhibited in “Sounds of the wild” exhibition at Galleria Huvila in 2016, Suomen Kädentaidot -fair design exhibition at Tampereen Messukeskus in 2017, “Sounds of the wild” exhibition at Sibelius house in 2021, and “Metsätöitä” exhibition at Kimmo Pyykkö art museum in 2023.
Wood grouse snap
A unique single sound work on kelo wood with Wood grouse’s feathers, 2016. The sound work plays the sounds of Wood grouse display and fighting. The work has been exhibited in “Sounds of the wild” exhibition at Galleria Huvila in 2016, Suomen Kädentaidot -fair design exhibition at Tampereen Messukeskus in 2017, and “Sounds of the wild” exhibition at Sibelius house in 2021.
Swan yoik
A unique single sound work to the birch where the swans nest, 2016. The sound work plays the sounds of swans and their take-off. The work has been exhibited in “Sounds of the wild” exhibition at Galleria Huvila in 2016, Suomen Kädentaidot -fair design exhibition at Tampereen Messukeskus in 2017, and “Sounds of the wild” exhibition at Sibelius house in 2021.
Ravens croak
A unique single sound work to the kelo branches where the ravens sit, 2016. The sound work plays the different kind of sounds of ravens in winter time. The work has been exhibited in “Sounds of the wild” exhibition at Galleria Huvila in 2016, Suomen Kädentaidot -fair design exhibition at Tampereen Messukeskus in 2017, and “Sounds of the wild” exhibition at Sibelius house in 2021.
Black grouse trance
Uniikki yksittäisääniteos käpypallo, 6000 kpl käpyjä pallon muodossa, 2016. Ääniteos soittaa teeren soitimen ääniä ja laulua. Teos on ollut esillä näyttelyissä “Villien Äänet” Galleria Huvilassa 2016 ja Suomen Kädentaidot -messut Muotoilunäyttely Tampereen Messukeskus 2017.
A unique single sound work to a cone ball, 6000 pieces of cones shaped as a ball, 2016. The sound work plays the mating calls and singing of black grouse.The work has been exhibited in “Sounds of the wild” exhibition at Galleria Huvila in 2016, and in Suomen Kädentaidot -fair design exhibition at Tampereen Messukeskus in 2017.
Nature recording close to the heart
Kirsi has been recording Nature Sounds for almost twenty years in all different seasons and around the world. The recordings contain even the world’s rarest sounds and the vocalizations of many wild animals.
Sound well-being
Kirsi’s goal has always been to promote well-being and create experiences. Kirsi lectures and gives talks about how sound can improve well-being and how sound design can be improved with different techniques. Kirsi has also held lectures and trainings on sound technology and sound design at universities around the world.
Do you want Kirsi to lecture at your event or seminar?
Generatiive sound desing is a sound design method created by Kirsi, which makes sound solutions more meaningful and richer in content. Kirsi has lectured on generative sound design and game sound at several universities and events.
Kirsi makes sure that the sound has a lot of good and positive effects. That’s why Kirsi does a lot of research on the effects of sound on different people with the help of different studies and modifies the sounds to meet their needs. Researching sound is a very important part of her career for Kirsi.
Nature conservation principle
“The works help to create a connection back to nature and animals. If the forests die, so do the sounds of the animals. It is important to take care of our animals and their habitats.”
-Kirsi Ihalainen
Kelosound’s sound world was born from that principle. Sound artist Kirsi Ihalainen tells the story of the KELOSOUND® product in the video below.
Nature conservation principle
“The works help to create a connection back to nature and animals. If the forests die, so do the sounds of the animals. It is important to take care of our animals and their habitats.”
-Kirsi Ihalainen
Kelosound’s sound world was born from that principle. Sound artist Kirsi Ihalainen tells the story of the KELOSOUND®product in the video below.