Tianjun Li (Timjune) - Free as Birds (Live at Aalto Media Lab)

Free as Birds is an interdisciplinary project that parallels the disrupted journeys of migratory birds and immigrants amidst global deforestation and increasingly restrictive immigration policies. Through performative video, photography, and sonic vocal experimentation, the project explores themes of displacement, adaptation, and the search for home.

Recent years have seen natural ecosystems and human migration patterns increasingly destabilized—birds lose their habitats to deforestation, while immigrants face tightened borders. Inspired by this shared fragility, I imagined myself as a bird freely crossing borders, wearing wings crafted from fragmented maps of Asia and Europe. These wings symbolize fractured identities and the barriers that hinder free movement. On a Finnish island, I performed scenes set against natural backdrops: gazing at nests in trees, tracing water pathways guided by moonlight and stars, dancing with birds, and finally confronting the border—the stark divide between the freedom of birds and the restrictions imposed on human migration.

The project’s sonic and vocal components explore the intersections of language, migration, and identity. Using field recordings from Helsinki immigration offices—disjointed announcements struggling to pronounce diverse immigrant names—alongside the rhythmic sounds of railways, airplanes, and circling birds, I created a layered auditory landscape. Traditional folk songs about migration and home from China and Europe became the foundation for lyrical exploration. Using AI language models, I translated these songs into bird-like vocal structures, echoing the mechanical and repetitive efforts of technology to understand complex human themes. The melodies, infused with elements of Finnish vocalization—a language I am learning as an immigrant—were performed alongside these field recordings. The slow, deliberate process of mastering this “new bird language” mirrors the immigrant experience of adapting to unfamiliar environments.