H2OMANAUS AQUA VITA
H2OMANAUS BY LYDIA PRIBISOVA
UNDERWATER MANAUS FOR THE RIVER VÁH
A PROJECT BY PIA LINDMAN
CURATED BY LÝDIA PRIBIŠOVÁ
In frame of the program AQUA VITAE
19.8. and 20.8.2025 at 18.00 performance in front of Water Sport Center
Manaus is a Finnish traditional way of healing by chanting
Pia Lindman, a multidisciplinary Finnish artist known for her deep engagement with environmental and healing practices, presents H2OMANAUS, an Underwater Manaus for the River Váh, a project that creates a dialogue between human experience and water as a fundamental planetary element.
Having spent time in Trenčín researching the Váh River, local spa culture and hydropower plants along the Váh, Lindman explores how natural forces are harnessed for energy and how water, in its many forms, sustains movement, life, and healing. Her work is deeply rooted in Finnish healing traditions, particularly those from Karelia and northern Ostrobothnia, where Manaus—vocal incantations used for healing and energetic attunement—have been practiced for centuries.
In this project, Lindman investigates whether Manaus can be used as tools to heal the trauma of environmental degradation. These ancient vocal techniques are reimagined not only as expressions of cultural tradition but also as potential interventions for water ecologies disrupted by pollution and heavy metal contamination.
At the core of the project is a live performance on a floating platform on the Váh River. Professional singers—including Tuva throat singer Sainkho Namtchylak, Finnish violinist and vocalist Tuomas Rounakari, and Slovak soprano Eva Šušková—perform sound compositions based on Manaus. These compositions are directed toward the water and the riverbed, with the intention of stimulating microbial life and promoting the transformation of pollutants into non-toxic forms.
An organic clay sculpture shaped by the artist’s hand serves as both a sound amplifier and a musical instrument. As its shape follows the arc of a parabola, the sculpture directs the singers’ voices and the resonances of the flowing river down to the riverbed.
Audience members are invited to interact with the sculpture in workshops and contribute their own voices to the river, expanding the participatory and healing dimensions of the project. This approach not only deepens public engagement but also reflects Lindman’s belief in art as a catalyst for collective awareness and ecological regeneration. This site becomes a hub for interaction between artistic, environmentalist, scientific, and community-based practices.
A key component of the work involved recording underwater river sounds, which become the first layer of the musical score. The second layer consists of specific frequencies that are expected to stimulate bacteria in the river mud—microbes that have the potential to metabolize pollutants. To find the right frequencies, Lindman has conducted tests with mud from rivers under the guidance of microbiologists in Slovakia and Finland.
The first mud samples for these tests were gathered during a citizen´s science workshop in Trenčín in spring 2025, developed and led by Richard Medal with local environmentalists from the Environmental Activity Centre, United Private School in Nová Dubnica, and scientists.
Lindman’s interdisciplinary practice seamlessly blends art, science, and social commentary. She uses mediums such as video, installation, sound, and performance to explore human perception, environmental entanglements, and the body’s relationship to natural forces. Her projects often challenge the boundaries between art and activism, prompting reflection on climate change, water scarcity, and our shared responsibility for the planet.
Through immersive experiences and collaborative processes, Pia Lindman has established herself as a distinctive voice in contemporary ecological art, inviting us to listen more closely—to water, to microbes, and to the ancient healing songs that still resonate in our bodies and ecosystems.
Pia Lindman, based in Inkoo in Finland, is a Finnish artist known for her interdisciplinary approach that seamlessly blends art, science, and social commentary. Her work often explores themes of human experience, perception, and the intricate relationships between individuals and their environments. Lindman employs various mediums, including video, installation, sound and performance art, to engage audiences and provoke thought.
She investigates our connections with water as both a physical resource and a conceptual entity. Through immersive installations and public interventions, Lindman encourages viewers to reconsider their interactions with nature and the implications of water scarcity and climate change. Her work challenges the boundaries between art and activism, prompting urgent conversations about ecological sustainability and our collective responsibility toward the environment.
Lindman’s artistic practice is characterized by a strong emphasis on participation and collaboration. She often invites communities to engage in the artistic process, fostering a sense of connection and shared experience. This participatory approach not only enriches her work but also reflects her belief in the power of art to inspire social change.
Through her innovative and thought-provoking creations, Pia Lindman has established herself as a significant voice in contemporary art, addressing critical issues while captivating audiences with her unique perspective on the world around us.
Selected exhibitions:
Solo:
Then There Are Silences…. Barents Spektakel, 2023, Kirkenes, Norway
”subsensorialXYZ”, SOLU, 2019, Bioart Scoety, Helsinki, Finland
”Poison and Play”, Labor Berlin 6, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, 2011, Berlin, Germany
Group:
”The Pleasures We Choose”, Finnish Pavilion, 60th Venice International Biennale of Art, 2024, Venice, Italy
”Not Without My Ghosts”, Southbank Centre, Hayward Gallery Touring, London. Touring in the UK 2020 - 2022: Drawing Room, London, Millennium Gallery, Sheffield, Ground Art Gallery, Blackpool, Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Swansea.
”Chewing the Tundra”, Kunsthalle Exnergasse, 2022, WUK, Vienna, Austria
“Let the field of your attention … soften and spread out”, KAI Art Center, Tallinn Photomonth Biennale, 2019, Estonia
”Nose Eyes Ears”, Incerteza Viva, 32nd Sao Paulo Biennale, 2016
”Kalevala Duo, Playing Bones” performance at Kleinhans Music Hall, 2015, Buffalo, New York Commissioned and Produced by Claire Schneider, CS1 Curatorial Projects on the occasion of FinnFest, USA
”Public Sauna” Greater New York, 2000, P.S.1., NYC, USA
Realized with support by Frame Contemporary Art and Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland
in collaboration with Biophilia, Aalto University, Environmental Activity Centre, Water Sports Center, United Private School in Nová Dubnica
