Lintukoto – Multispecies Climigration Archive (2026)

Against the unfolding crisis of our times – escalating fascisms, climate emergency, forced migration, genocide – Lintukoto invites us to look and listen carefully to stories of displacement and belonging, resisting the erasure and dehumanisation of diasporic communities.

Taking its name from Finnish folklore, Lintukoto is a mythical warm, safe, haven at the far edges of the world, where the sky meets earth, and birds were thought to migrate to for winter.

Lintukoto is an immersive audio installation composed of bamboo, ash branches and delicate bird nests, forming an ecosystem of shadow, sound, and story. A chorus of voices both human and non-human resound the softly lit space, speaking to experiences of migration, climate change, and the possibilities of creating sanctuary in an age marked by crisis.

Drawing on the experiences of those who have been forced to leave their homes, the installation invites us to ask, can sanctuary still be found, or created, in conditions shaped by ecological collapse, displacement, and political instability?

Hidden within the bird nests, small speakers carry a layered chorus of human voices - stories of loss, resilience and belonging composed of testimonies shared by people with lived experience of forced displacement and seeking asylum. The chorus of voices is interwoven with a surrounding ambient soundscape of dawn and dusk choruses and the subterranean murmurs of bamboo’s root system.

The work is a collective effort, made possible through the contributions of many.

The multi-channel sound chorus: Usue Ruiz Arana and composer Ben Ponton.

The work is supported by Arts Council England and The Finnish Institute, Natural History Society of Northumbria and The Hancock: Natural History Museum and The NewBridge Gallery in Newcastle.