An immersive performance ritual rooted in the presence of the natural world and advocacy for the protection of water, land, stars and ancestral knowledge is coming to campus during Climate Week at the University of Michigan.

The University Musical Society’s presentation, “Nigamon / Tunai” will be at the Power Center Oct. 2-8.

Émilie Monnet, a Canadian artist of Anishinaabe descent, and her creative partner Waira Nina, a Colombian artist of Inga descent, give voices to natural elements as they explore the common knowledge and struggles that link their respective cultures. The water, the trees, even the rocks will have their chance to “sing” via invented musical instruments made of copper which, when paired with water, creates a song; a turntable that plays the music of rocks; and a device embedded in live trees that amplifies their song.

“The title means ‘song’ in both my grandparents’ language, Anishinaabemowin, and Waira’s language, which is Inga,” Monnet said. “It’s really about making people more aware of all these subtle sounds that we tend to lose our ability to hear when we are so busy in the urban world, or due to sound pollution that is a direct effect of extractivism, for example.

“It’s about creating a sense of acute listening in the performance space, for people to really listen to these elements and to the energy we create together.”

This co-created energy is another vital component of the experience. Audiences sit on the stage surrounding the performance creating an intimate, shared interaction. The Power Center is transformed into an “enchanted forest” with pools of water, real trees, rocks and other natural elements across the stage.

Monnet is of the belief that humans are happy and comforted when they are surrounded by trees, and this creates a safer environment to delve into the difficult themes surrounding the history of their respective tribes and the ongoing depletion and plundering of natural resources that are core to their existence.

Monnet and Nina have strict protocols around sourcing trees for the stage in each city they visit, paramount of which is that the trees have a life after the performance and are adopted by people or replanted in the city.

Michael Palmer and Andrea Clark of the U-M Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum worked to source the 20 trees needed by the creative team, and will aid in their replanting once the show leaves town. Visitors can look forward to seeing the Natal Mahogany Tree in the conservatory, and flowering cherry trees may be added to the MBGNA grounds as well after making their on-stage debut.

Monnet says the trees replanted in Bogota after performances in Colombia had greater blooms than their counterparts that did not have music amplified through them.

“I think there is something very loving in those songs, and somehow these sound energies also feed or nourish the trees and the plants,” she said.

The turtle also plays a role in the show due to its shared cultural significance.

“For Waira’s people, the turtle is the mother of water. And for my people, the Earth was created on top of a turtle shell. So it really became kind of a meeting point for us,” Monnet said.

The main takeaway for audiences, she hopes, is that they will see the water as a precious entity that should be cherished and cannot be taken for granted.

“It is also important to be in solidarity with one another, because all struggles and realities are interconnected. What happens down south also has an impact here, and vice versa. I hope people really feel that interconnection,” she said.

Monnet and Nina will participate in an Oct. 3 Climate Week panel discussion, “Approaches to Artmaking for an Environmentally Just World,” alongside faculty from the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance; Stamps School of Art & Design; Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning; leaders from the Detroit Opera and others.

The talk, moderated by Clare Croft, U-M faculty director of arts research/creative practice, will look at more sustainable approaches to the creation of performance, visual art, architecture and design. The panel is free and open to the public.

Monnet also will participate in a Penny Stamps Speaker Series lecture Oct. 9. Much of her recent work has stemmed from dreams, and she hopes to dive into her “dream dramaturgy” at this free, public event.

“You can really get inspired through your dreams and that oneiric kind of storytelling to convey your reflections on the state of the world, or the state of the universe, or the state of how we relate to one another as people,” she said.