Lapland (March 7, 2023)—The Sámi Museum and Nature Centre in Northern Lapland recently underwent significant renovation and expansion to accommodate increased visitor numbers and to bring the establishment into line with modern standards. Aiming to match that with the latest in AV offerings, regional technical systems specialists Caverion Suomi Oy supplied and installed a Genelec Smart IP loudspeaker solution on a Dante AoIP backbone throughout the facility. Sound designer Aki Päivärinne from Oioi Collective handled sound design for the new exhibits.
The newly renovated museum building uses the latest in museum technology to showcase and celebrate Sámi heritage, and the exhibits’ sound had to fall in line with that ethos. “My brief was to recreate a soundscape reflecting the multifaceted sounds of nature in Lapland, and design a technical solution for it,” explains Päivärinne. “I knew that the open museum hall environment would be an interesting acoustic and thematic challenge since all of the seasons are presented in the very same room.”
Sámi culture celebrates not four but eight distinct seasons which dictate the rhythm of life for Sámi people—and this informed the soundscape. “I wanted to create a soundscape that would render a natural and authentic backdrop for the exhibition which puts the Sámi culture into context,” he continues. “Considering that the Sámi still live in close connection with nature, an interplay between nature and culture seemed like an appropriate starting point.”
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When it came to implementing the sound design, Päivärinne noted, “I knew I would use Genelec loudspeakers because in terms of sound quality, detail and transparency, there’s nothing to rival them. It’s also a Finnish brand…. It was also a foregone conclusion that we would be using Smart IP technology because the newly renovated technical infrastructure of Siida is based entirely on Ethernet cabling, making it very easy for us to plug into the same network.”
Lauri Riihiaho led the team from Caverion responsible for the Dante network and loudspeaker installation throughout the building. He noted, “Our brief was to install the loudspeakers and configure the network switches for Dante. We installed a total of 30 4430s plus a pair of 8010s for one of the Sámi cultural displays and a 7040 subwoofer that plays out Sámi shamanic drum sounds. Genelec’s Smart IP Manager software was used to configure the loudspeakers, which was very straightforward and saved us a lot of time. We configured the switches, and everything worked perfectly. A Picturall Mark II media server equipped with a 32 x 32 Dante card acts as the main hub to run all of the museum’s media content. We connected the loudspeakers to the Dante outputs of the media server and that was it; our job was done.”
Staff at Siida are pleased with the results. “We have increased the area of the building by 50 percent, which enables us to do justice to the richness and diversity of Sámi culture and its intimate connection with the natural environment,” said sales and marketing manager, Minna Muurahainen. “It was important to us that, where possible, we used brands whose values mirror our own, especially on issues like sustainability. Genelec clearly meets those requirements. We’re delighted with the new exhibition which uses the very latest technology to educate and immerse our visitors into the Sámi environment, which is today under threat and deserves a voice.”
