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There has been a sense of 'newness' since the beginning of 2017 for me. I have been on a transformational, creative journey for most of my life, but something shifted in a BIG way. This is a year of Courage, Authenticity and Radiant Action for me.  PHOTO: Jari Mäntylä It started with closing 2016 through a process of falling in love with my past. I decided to honour everything and to allow myself to feel amazed by all the things I have done and experienced. I decided to truly appreciate all that I am and all that I have been. From that place of profound acceptance, such joy and inspiration arose to create a New Life with this pure being-ness as it's essence. I will share all of me from a place of fearless authenticity, joyful creation and trust in magical connections. Making Snow Angels with my little girl Mimi and my mom was a beautiful part of this process of falling in love with my past - and how this love reaches far into the future! It is time now to truly trust my wings. It is now time to fly! And to know that magic exists. Within each of us.
As something new and exciting to share with you, I have started offering IRINDIRA BLESSINGS - a personal vocal activation for you to align you with your core essence, to support you, to comfort you and to encourage you to fulfil your life's purpose! Included in the blessing is also one question about any area of your life you want some guidance on and I will channel you a loving message from my guides. If you are interested, please contact me directly (meri.nikula(at)gmail.com) and I can share with you the details. Wishing you a transformational 2017! With love, joy and inspiration, Meri
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This summer I retrieved my lifestyle as a Creative Nomad. With my little girl Mimi, on her second summer, we traveled and I performed as well as taught Voicing Your Body -workshops again. I enjoyed enormously meeting friends, old and new, creating expansive circles of inspiration spiralling forth and taking people on journeys with me, through my music and through each their own personal experience with Voicing Your Body.  ART: Dragonfly Deity by Barbara Courtille (YoginiThreads) In Paris I had the pleasure of reconnecting with some dear collaborators and close friends (Yasmine Hugonnet, Léa Canu Ginoux) and new inspiring healers (Jacqueline Lebo) and artists (Barbara Courtille). In Corfu, Greece, staying, performing and teaching with the unique Zoe Valerie at Casa Lucia, we got to enter a whole new island. I had my concert under a gorgeous pine tree that created a magical space under it's foliage, with an Nordic air given it's cooling shade as well as the lichen growing on it's extensive branches.  PHOTO: Pine Tree with Meri by Alexandros Angelakis There are more photos and videos coming up... however, for now, I am unwinding. While traveling, I had very little time online, which was wonderful, being able to simply receive what was. Now as we are in Finland, still traveling but more 'at home' at the same time, I am both more connected to the world wide web as well as the nature. Listening to the sound of silence that awakens my soul... and brings me deep peace and sense of serenity.  PHOTO: Selfie in the woods of Northern-Carelia, Finland
The summer is finally here! May has been an amazing month with a lot of movement and expansion for me. I have been working on my upcoming travels, with my little girl, doing creative work: teaching and performing as I go! And there are lots of exciting things coming up in autumn as well... For a little taste of what has been going on, I will share with you a few moments of a 9 day Sensual Nature, dancing in the nature challenge that I was invited to participate in. I found connecting with nature, with the Earth and the elements becoming deeper and deeper... and at the same time, I was becoming more fluid and peaceful in my own body and it's natural flows. It truly is so amazingly simple, yet so magical, to spend time with nature! Just dancing... without music, to your own inner flow. It can be a dance of relief, of release, a celebration, connecting with the inner child, connecting with the fairies, connecting with the stones and the goblins... In nature everything exists, the good, the bad and the ugly, in one glorious harmony.  This photo is a selfie I took after interacting with 10kg of soil. This was the beginning of a research for two new pieces: SPOROS - a nomadic creation I am working on with Zoe Valerie in Corfu, Greece. Sporos is the greek word for seeds. We will be planting a human tree that grows... with children included. For my new solo, TERRA NOSTRA, I am working on a bit different thematics: '' Life long journey… one planet, countless humans. In search for their place, space to be, to grow, to breath, to plant their seed. People in motion, displaced. Birthing their lives anew. In hopes of finding fertile soil. How do we find enough space and our place on this planet that is getting smaller and smaller as there are more and more humans? How can we honour humanness when there is violence, death, destruction? We each carry the weight of our ancestry, our personal history as well as collective burdens as people from different cultures and backgrounds. Is there a way to release yourself from these burdens? Is there a way to use this wisdom to birth a new humanity, based on simple values, reverence for all life and authentic connections? Nature is abundant. Staying grounded in the fertile soil, there is enough for everyone’s needs. Turning towards light we can renew ourselves again and again. What do you truly need to live a fulfilling life in balance and harmony, in creative collaboration with the Earth?'' (WORK IN PROGRESS. Concept, costume, performance and music by Meri Nikula) First silent sketch on VIMEO: TERRA NOSTRA  Dancing Tree - First day of Sensual Nature. I found that walking outside, paying attention, simply being aware and appreciating the plants, the trees, their forms, their beauty and energy already creates a dance within me. On a little hill I met some dancing trees. I could feel their energy so strong... and if I could see nature spirits, I am sure there were plenty there. It seemed like a very special little space where secret gatherings would be held.  Totem Wand (Salamander-Goat-Dragon) and 9 Stones all found on the Full Moon Day, the last day of Sensual Nature.
I also took my frame drum with me in the forest, to initiate it into my use. It has been specially made for me and I love the drum - now we have an even stronger connection. During the Sensual Nature challenge I really re-established my connection with the Earth and felt supported by the Earth Elementals in a new way. I am only revealing you a few glimpses of this journey, as I am expanding my being-ness into what I am to embody... More, much more to come! ... Wishing you a glorious beginning of summer! The Arctic Birches are finally opening their buds to let out the fresh new green, spreading over the mountain plateaus... Much love, Meri April was a month of inspiring experiences in the North, where spring comes late but it comes with amazing radiance and power!! I performed at LYDRØRT festival in Henningsvær, Lofoten Islands, on a gorgeous, sunny day. The stage was the most beautiful I have ever had, directly by the Ocean with mountains behind me.   PHOTOS: Dagmara Wojtanowicz I also performed my improvised vocal journey COSMIC RADIO at Oulu Museum of Art, FINLAND, at the exhibition opening of Hanna Kanto's BEAM OF LIGHT. I was performing in the black gallery, wearing fluorescent light tubes as Hanna has on some of there paintings. Here is a short sample of the part where I enter the animalistic realms... or perhaps the mountains, embodied: I also had two wonderful workshops, VOICING YOUR BODY. First one ever in Finland at VALVE, Oulu, where we had a big group of people emerging into intuitive movement and free vocal expression. As a part of LYDRØRT at Lofoten, we also started the day on Sunday by listening deeply to our inner resonance and expanding outwards - even to the space by the ocean, for an ending circle. Beautiful sharing, during both workshops - and I am looking forward for more!
Much love and radiant light, Meri  SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST at WORM, Rotterdam, The Netherlands PHOTO: Cramer Florian ... I had a wonderful time in The Netherlands in the beginning of this month. It felt very powerful to share my work again with a new depth it has started to radiate after spending some time in introspection, envisioning where I want my life and my creations to go. It is a time of great transformations in the world and in my personal creative work and all that it will express as a part of this transformation. I can feel it very strongly. Up in the Arctic where I am based, we are now enjoying the season called 'Spring-Winter'. It means that the sun has taken over the darkness and we feel the spring in the air despite there being still loads and loads of snow! It is a dizzying time of the year with so much energy moving and swirling in the air. The sun is stunningly radiant, seeming to take over the whole wide sky. I have been tuning into the opportunities up here for a while now, wanting to make more of my creative work in the North of Norway, Finland and Sweden. Our collaboration with Hanna Kanto is bringing me to Oulu, Finland, to perform for the first time there as a solo artist. I am going to make a vocal improvisation called 'Arktisia kuulokuvia yhdelle äänelle' (Arctic Ear-scapes for One Voice) on the 8th April at Oulu Museum of Art (OMA). I am also very happy to get to teach my very first Voicing Your Body course in Finland, on the 10th of April at VALVE Cultural Centre in Oulu. The course is already getting full, but there are a few spots left, if you are interested! Please send me an email to make a reservation. In the end of April I will travel to the magical Lofoten islands which are famous for their natural beauty. I will perform at a one day festival LYDRØRT in Henningsvær on the 30th of April, where themes around emptiness will be expressed through sound art, dance and performance. I will also teach a Voicing Your Body workshop on the 1st of May in Lofoten islands. For more information check the 'agenda' on my website closer to the dates. I am sending you all some SPRING SUN to expand you further! I can't wait to see how this journey unfolds... So excited!! Much love, Meri  THE SUN AND THE PINK GUARDIAN above our tiny house. The trees were full of 'cherry blossoms' made of huge crystallised flakes of snow that day. It was so beautiful, one of the rare, spectacular sights you don't see very often but that make you feel blessed to live here.
PHOTO: Meri Nikula
In the beginning of March I will start my nomadic travels as an artist and a transformational healer again. There will be something very different every day, from an evening without electricity at De Kleine Wiel, an ecologically built cultural space, where I will tune in with Nordic sounds acoustically, in candle light, all the way to an avant-garde event at WORM in Rotterdam on the International Women's Day where my performance Survival of the Fittest will be shown. If you are anywhere near, would be wonderful to meet you!
04.March at 20:30-22:00 ZONDER STROOM Extrapool Event at De Kleine Wiel, NIJMEGEN Solo Concerts without electricity by Meri Nikula (FI) and Richard Youngs (GB) Entrance: 5€ 05.March at 19:00-20:30 VOCAL MOSAIC Meditative Concert by Meri Nikula Praktijik Zaklina Lecnik, ROTTERDAM Entrance: 10€ 06.March at 10:00-14:00 VOICING YOUR BODY - workshop Praktijik Zaklina Lecnik, ROTTERDAM Participation: 35€ (with light, healthy snacks and tea/coffee) 08.March at 20:00-01:00 International Women's Day FUCK YOU FRIEDRICH! WORM, Rotterdam Solo Performance: The Survival of the Fittest by Meri Nikula and more Entrance: 5€  VIDEO STILL: Through The Wilderness Within It has been a productive beginning of the year 2016 for me. I finally finished my video project 'Through The Wilderness Within' which I started filming when being pregnant in 2014. It was a profound and demanding process, where I also birthed myself anew as an artist. You can watch the video here: THROUGH THE WILDERNESS WITHIN In the beginning of February I was also in Kilpisjärvi, Finland, at the Bioarctica Residency with Hanna Kanto, a painter from my home town who I have become close with in the past few years. She is working on her big solo exhibition for the Oulu Museum of Art (OMA) coming up in April. This video will be part of the exhibition, where the rest of the works are paintings. I have been collaborating with her on this video, which is still a work in progress. I am going to make the sound track for it and also sing in the opening of this exhibition on the 8th of April. I am also starting my international travels again, first having a small tour in The Netherlands in the beginning of March for concerts, performances and a Voicing Your Body workshop. With Snowy Greetings, Meri  FILMING A NEW PROJECT at Kilpisjärvi, Finland. For once me behind the video camera! The premiere will be at Oulu Museum of Art (OMA) on the 8th. April 2016. I will also perform at the opening.
PHOTO: Hanna Kanto  It is finally time to start my work again in a bigger way, after a slowly moving year with my baby girl. There are some exciting projects coming up and I will perform next week on Danse Festival Barents in Hammerfest, Norway. My solo performance 'Survival of the Fittest' will be shown twice at Nissen Senteret, in the middle of a busy shopping centre on Saturday 7th of November at 13:00 and 15:00. Free entrance! More information: DanseFestival Barents My collaboration with Diego Losa, an Argentinian composer living and working in Paris (GRM), aired in Radio France a few weeks back. You can listen to the short interview in French after which you can hear the new piece. It is all my voice and GRM tools which is Diego's platform for composing. We are planning on a long term collaboration. Enjoy this short taste of what is to come! Listen here: Diego Losa (GRM) & Meri Nikula at Radio France I am working on some videos, to finally have more to show on my website so that you can hear more of my Vocal Mosaic in case you have never heard me live. My video 'Into the Wilderness Within' will also be added here in a few months after the finishing touch! It is a work of heart, for my baby girl when she was still inside me. The ultimate creative process of creating new life! I am looking forward to 2016 as a year when things start moving, big time! Please don't hesitate to contact me for any questions or inquiries you might have. With radiant inspiration, Meri  SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST at Kamppi Shopping Center, Helsinki, for Dimanche Rouge Performance Art Festival
PHOTOS: Ignacio Perez Perez  MAMA MERI enjoying Maternity Leave in Helsinki Central Park, Summer 2015 PHOTO: Elina Vuorio ...
I have been contemplating to start a blog. To share more of me as my life, my music & art are all interconnected. My little daughter Mimi is 1 year old already and since the beginning of September I have felt like it is a new start again. After a long break it feels great to start creating again! To start planning new work and travels. I have made a lot of new music in our sauna which I turn into a studio by bringing in all my gear, microphone, loop station and recorder. It is the only room in the house which is somewhat sound proof! And there is a special atmosphere for sure. Usually sauna is a very contemplative place for me, to relax and let go. These energies are now in good use as well, setting the tone for the music being created. Since I have traveled less than before, I have been experiencing and appreciating my immediate surroundings even more. Nature is becoming increasingly important as a source of peace and rejuvenation. The photo on the right shows one of these moments of deep healing connection amidst some hectic days: taking a breather in Helsinki Central Park with little Mimi sleeping in her trolley. After having lived a life of great freedom, practically on wings, it has been a challenge to get used to being at someone else's service 24/7 as a mother. The first year has been as wonderful as it has been demanding. I am proud of my little girl, of who she has already become. And I am proud of how I have managed, as a mother. Now it has become a time of marrying the two roles, being a mother with being an independent creator as well. To take equally good care of me as I do of my little girl. For me this means reconnecting with my creative work and the creative circles around the world as well as continuing with my healing work, which is still less visible. In the coming years, my intention is to bring forth both. There are some actual NEWS too to share with you soon, about upcoming performances. For now, I will use this space in the blog form. It is equally exiting for me to see how this all will transform in the coming months and years... The Fresh New Energy is there and I am welcoming and embracing it with an open heart. Warmly, Meri |
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