UMAI is an ethnographic-artistic project that creates an entire universe, complete with its own language, philosophy and mythology.
It envisions an imagined, yet potentially possible future, where communities form new ethnicities and tribes based on ideological choice rather than birth or descent. Traditions blend and interweave, forming new expressions rooted in timeless archetypes. New languages and melodies carry echoes of ancient cultures, with nature — the eternal guide — taking center stage.
teiya lua in umai means “two moons / dual nature of the moon”. It is a musical tale presented from the perspective of a heroine who embarks on a journey through the world of the known and the unknown, to a realm beyond, where she meets her other self. Like in a myth or magical tale, she encounters Wise Ones along the way — guides and teachers who help her navigate her path. The duality of nature, symmetry, and the strangeness and familiarity of the new/old world form the axis around which the musical, narrative, and visual threads are constructed. The journey culminates in 13 songs — one for each full moon in a year-long cycle.
UMAI is co-created by Basia Songin and Agnieszka Mendel-Hanusek, performers with years of stage and creative experience who work at the intersection of music, theater, storytelling and film. The artists explore traditional and contemporary vocal techniques, experiment with sound, and approach composition as storytelling. Their work draws inspiration from nature, literature, landscapes, ancient myths, and the ethnic cultures of various peoples across the globe.
In spring2025, their debut album, titled „teiyalua”, will be released
Basia Songin voice, hybrid cello, frame drum, looper, percussion
Agnieszka Mendel-Hanusek voice, guitalele, percussion