ARCHIVE

Calewalayana—Changes in the Ecology of the Mind was created in 1986 by Finnish radio maker Harri Huhtamäki, along with four collaborators (two musicians, a sound engineer, and a journalist.) Harri Huhtamäki founded the famous Radio Atelier at YLE, the national broadcasting network in Finland. The text in the piece comes from the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala. The title of the piece, Calewalayana is a made-up word. It refers to the Kalevala poem while also evoking other famous epics, for instance the Sanskrit epic Ramayana. The soundscape of Calewalayana was recorded in various remote and urban parts of Finland and is combined with sounds of drums, wood, traditional herding instruments and a saxophone improvised on the streets of Helsinki. What emerges is a hybrid radio piece blurring drama, documentary, and music. Huhtamäki says Calewalayana is about Finnish identity and changes in the Finnish ecology of mind spanning pagan, Christian, and capitalist eras. New American Radio adapted this piece for American radio listeners in 1986 including the original Finnish with English translation. This adapted bilingual version of Calewalayana—Changes in the Ecology includes collaborating artists Pekka Ruorhoranta, Teppo Hautohao, Pekka Lappi, and Seppo Pakunainen. The English narration is performed by Regine Beyer. - Introduced by Wave Farm Radio Artist Fellow 2019/2020, Karen Werner.