Ann Arbor Times

An immersive performance highlighting the importance of water and the natural world will be featured at the University of Michigan during its Climate Week. The University Musical Society is presenting “Nigamon / Tunai” at the Power Center from October 2 to 8.

Canadian artist Émilie Monnet, who is of Anishinaabe descent, and Colombian artist Waira Nina, who is of Inga descent, are collaborating on this project. They use invented musical instruments to give voice to elements such as water, trees, and rocks. These include copper instruments that create music when paired with water, a turntable playing rock sounds, and a device that amplifies the sound of live trees.

“The title means ‘song’ in both my grandparents’ language, Anishinaabemowin, and Waira’s language, which is Inga,” Monnet said. “It’s really about making people more aware of all these subtle sounds that we tend to lose our ability to hear when we are so busy in the urban world, or due to sound pollution that is a direct effect of extractivism, for example.

“It’s about creating a sense of acute listening in the performance space, for people to really listen to these elements and to the energy we create together.”

The performance places audience members on stage around the artists for an intimate experience. The stage will be transformed with pools of water, real trees sourced specifically for each city visited by the show, rocks, and other natural features.

Monnet believes that being surrounded by trees provides comfort and safety for audiences as they engage with challenging topics such as tribal history and environmental degradation. She emphasized that strict protocols are followed when sourcing trees; after each show they are either adopted or replanted locally.

Michael Palmer and Andrea Clark from U-M Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum assisted in sourcing 20 trees for this event and will oversee their replanting afterward. Some may be added permanently to university grounds.

Monnet noted positive effects from previous performances: “I think there is something very loving in those songs, and somehow these sound energies also feed or nourish the trees and the plants,” she said.

The turtle features prominently in both artists’ cultures. “For Waira’s people, the turtle is the mother of water. And for my people, the Earth was created on top of a turtle shell. So it really became kind of a meeting point for us,” Monnet said.

She hopes audiences leave with greater appreciation for water: “The main takeaway for audiences...is that they will see the water as a precious entity that should be cherished and cannot be taken for granted.”

“It is also important to be in solidarity with one another because all struggles and realities are interconnected. What happens down south also has an impact here, and vice versa. I hope people really feel that interconnection,” she said.

Monnet and Nina will join an October 3 panel discussion titled “Approaches to Artmaking for an Environmentally Just World” alongside University faculty from several schools as well as leaders from Detroit Opera. The event will focus on sustainable practices in art-making and is free to attend.

Additionally, Monnet will give a lecture as part of the Penny Stamps Speaker Series on October 9 where she plans to discuss her creative process influenced by dreams: “You can really get inspired through your dreams and that oneiric kind of storytelling to convey your reflections on the state of the world, or the state of the universe, or the state of how we relate to one another as people,” she said.