Sonic Sauna by Tuomas Toivonen’s transforms Bergen’s floating Laugaren by using mechanical, acoustic, electronic objects to amplify the aural culture of tending to the sauna.

Deeply engaged with the role that sound plays in the sauna process, Finnish sauna owner, architect and musician Tuomas Toivonen transforms Bergen’s unique Laugaren floating sauna into an ambient sonic instrument , creating a dynamic sonic layer that emanates from the sauna itself. Toivonen first began creative conversations with Laugaren architect and co-founder Bjørnar Skaar Haveland when conceptualising, building and now operating his own renowned Kulttuurisauna in Helsinki with designer Nene Tsuboi. To enact the Laugaren transformation, Toivonen uses mechanical, acoustic, and electronic objects to reveal the interplay between the sauna building and its natural environment. In doing so, the sonic phenomena that occurs from the interactions between extreme heat and cold, as well as the bathing practices from the community of people who together make up Laugaren sauna culture, are amplified through music and space as it floats on the city’s fjord.

Presented in collaboration with Laugaren. Supported by The Norwegian-Finnish Cultural Foundation. Part of New Perspectives for Action – a project by Re-Imagine Europe, co-funded by the European Union.

Premiere: Borealis 2025 (NO)
This work is available for touring.
Further enquiries: post@borealisfestival.no

Photo credits: M. Levi, T.Brødreskift / Borealis