áttir

áttir by Lilja María Ásmundsdóttir is a new composition for voice, electronics, and sound sculptures, written especially for Heiða Árnadóttir. The work was originally performed at the spring equinox in 2026, when day and night are nearly equal in length. This time of year marks balance and transformation, which is reflected in the sound world and thematic material of the piece.

The work is based on graphic notation, in which photographs of the same plant taken at different times of the year are used as the foundation for the graphic score. The opening section of the work is based on photographs of the plant taken in February (2023), an introduction to the spring equinox. The second section uses photographs taken around the time of the spring equinox (2023). The final section is then based on photographs taken during the summer (2023).

The work draws inspiration from the cosmos and weather, but also from ideas of visibility and invisibility, how the material and the intangible appear in interplay. Lilja designed sound sculptures made from different materials, which will be placed throughout Fríkirkjan. These sculptures will be activated by Heiða at specific points in the work, creating a living dialogue between voice, space, and material.