This story was featured in: Episode 28
LABORATORIUM PIEŚNI
Laboratorium Pieśni (Song Laboratory) is a group of female singers from Tri-City (Gdańsk, Gdynia and Sopot, Poland), created in 2013.
Using traditional, polyphonic singing they perform songs from all over the world, mainly: Ukraine, the Balkans, Poland, Belarus, Georgia, Scandinavia, and many other places. They sing a capella as well as with shaman drums and other ethnic instruments (shruti box, kalimba, flute, gong, zaphir and koshi chimes, singing bowls, rattles etc.), creating a new space in a traditional song, adding voice improvisations, inspired by sounds of nature, often intuitive, wild and feminine.
The traditional songs are often brought from their source – different regions of Poland, Europe and world, by the members of the group – having their unique history and evolving in the course of work. Finally they are performed in a new form – traditional or enriched.
Laboratorium Pieśni is a winner of TRYTON PRIZE on FAMA Festival 2014 for the greatest artistic personality of the festival.
Laboratorium Pieśni, apart from singing and participating in festivals, conducts field research to find new-old music: trip to Albania – polyphonic songs (2014), research in Kashubian region – funeral songs (2013/2014), research in Lower Silesia region – carol singers rituals (winter 2013).
The group also creates theatre performances in which they use traditional songs to tell stories about disappearing rites: ‘Pory Roku’ (Seasons) 2013, ‘Puste Noce – Pieśni, które już się kończą’ (Empty Nights – Songs that have come to an end) 2014.
The singers: Alina Jurczyszyn, Kamila Bigus, Lila Schally-Kacprzak, Iwona Majszyk, Magda Jurczyszyn, Klaudia Lewandowska, Alina Klebba, Karolina Stawiszyńska.
Photos by Kamila Chomicz, Adam Łach Lunaris, Anna Maria Biniecka, and Marta Obiegła