Conceptual framework and background
Coexistence started from a simple but demanding question:
What would you say if the whole world were listening?
During the development of the work, Sulkunen conducted a series of open conversations with individuals who occupy vulnerable or marginalized positions in society. Rather than approaching these meetings as interviews or documentation, she created a conversational space where participants could speak freely about themes such as home, borders, belonging, dreams and happiness.
These encounters shaped both the conceptual and musical structure of the work.
Fragments of speech — rhythms, accents, breaths, pauses — are transformed into musical material. The human voice becomes both subject and sound source, allowing stories to appear not only through words but through their sonic qualities.
In this way Coexistence extends Sulkunen’s long-term exploration of voice in the SONORITY series. While earlier works focused primarily on her own voice and its relationship to sound environments, Coexistence expands the perspective toward a collective vocal landscape.
The work reflects on the voice as a site of power and vulnerability. In society some voices dominate public space while others remain unheard. By incorporating these voices into the musical fabric, the project asks whether listening itself can become a form of connection.
Rather than presenting a single narrative or moral position, Coexistence unfolds as a field of voices and perspectives. Through sound, fragments of speech and layered sonic textures, the work creates a shared space where individual experiences resonate with one another.
At its core, Coexistence proposes listening as an active practice, a way of encountering others and rethinking how we inhabit the world together.