Sila: The Breath of the Wind by Inuksuit

Inuksuit

Inuksuit (2009) is a work that fits squarely in the center of the aesthetic of composer John Luther Adams who said, “the whole world is music and all we have to do is tune in.” “Inuksuit” is the Inuit word for the stone markers that dot the arctic landscape and serve to guide the Inuit peoples on their journeys across the vast expanses of desolate tundra in Alaska, Adams’ adopted homeland. However, in the Inuit language, “Inuksuit” also means “to act in the capacity of the human.” This particularly resonates with Adams. In his own notes for the work, he writes that this music “is haunted by the vision of the melting of the polar ice, the rising of the seas, and what may remain of humanity’s presence after the waters recede.” In this work for 9-99 percussionists, which is to be performed in an outdoor setting, Adams sonically represents both the stone markers and the lonely, changing Alaskan landscape. Throughout the hour-long work, the audience is encouraged to wander throughout the performance space, thereby creating their own, personal experience of this powerful work.