RAUASÕNAD

The
Beautiful
Formula
Trio

Mariliis Haljasorg
Oleksiy Koval
Veronika Wenger

Rauasõnad

Live
Painting
Performance

ARS Project Space
Tallinn

August 8
2026
14:00

The composition “Rauasõnad” is the fourth composition in the series Muta Poesis, created during the NART artist residency in Narva.

“Muta poesis, pictura loquens” (Latin for “silent poetry, speaking painting”) is a famous dictum originally attributed to the Greek poet Simonides of Keos and handed down by Plutarch.

The composition “Rauasõnad” is based on Kalevala Runo 9 (Raua sünd / Raua needmine) and the shared Finnish-Estonian tradition it represents.

The score is written entirely in The Beautiful Formula Language and follows the movement and rhythm of the legend in six parts: the separation of air and water, the three mothers of iron and their milk, the forge and the fire, the poisoned tempering water, the breaking of the oath, and the closing incantation.

“Rauasõnad” is silent poetry: it makes the invisible rhythms of Estonian folklore visible.

The Beautiful Formula Trio — Mariliis Haljasorg, Oleksiy Koval and Veronika Wenger — performed “Rauasõnad” together before an audience for the first time, as a digital live painting performance.

The performance took place within the exhibition “Loor. Connecting Inner Landscapes”: Saturday, August 8, 2026, 2 p.m., ARS Project Space, Tallinn.

Curated by Viktoria Berezina
Organised by LOORE – Estonian Creative Residencies Network

Funded by Nordic Culture Point (Nordic-Baltic Mobility Programme for Culture) and the Estonian Ministry of Culture

Rauasõnad (Symphony IV)

Oleksiy Koval, Narva 2026

I. Ukko and the three mothers of iron

Ukko, the creator of the sky, separated air and water, rubbed his hands firmly together and pressed them against his knee — thus arose three maidens, the mothers of iron. They walked along the edges of the clouds, their breasts overflowing with the milk of the iron to come, which flowed onto the earth, into the valleys and waters.

A   

A¹  A1/2   
V2 H1 | V1 H2  

A²  A1/9

A³ A1/4

E 

a,b,c,d,e,f,g ≈

P

#1 a A¹ A1 [1,2,1,2,1,2] [1,2,1,2,1,2] [1,2,1,2,1,2] [8] [8] [8]
#2 b A¹ A1 [-]
#3 c A¹ A1 [-]
#4 d A¹ A1 [-]
#5 b A¹ A2 [A² A7, A8, A9, (1) T5, T8, T3]
#6 c A¹ A2 [A³ A1, (1) T5, T8, T3]
#7 d A¹ A2 [A² A3, A6, A7, (1) T5, T8, T3]

II. The milks congeal into matter

The eldest mother of iron let out black milk — where it met the land, wrought iron arose (soft, malleable iron). The middle one milked white milk — from it steel is made. The youngest let out red milk — from it came iron ore.

#8 b A¹ A2 [A² A7, A8, A9, (6) T5]
#9 c A¹ A2 [A³ A1, (4) T5]
#10 d A¹ A2 [A² A3, A6, A7, (5) T5]

III. The forge: the fire

The fire desires to devour the iron; the smith Ilmarinen comforts the iron, saying it will become beautiful once it unites with the fire.

#11 e A¹ A2 [A² A7, A8, A9, (7) T5]
#12 e A¹ A2 [A³ A1, (7) T5]
#13 e A¹ A2 [A² A3, A6, A7, (7) T5]

IV. The poisoned water

Then Ilmarinen seeks the tempering agent — and the evil Hiisi poisons the tempering water with snake venom and evil saps, whereby the iron turns bitter and evil and calls upon its kin to cut flesh and blood.

#14 f A¹ A2 [A² A7, A8, A9, (-)]
#15 f A¹ A2 [A³ A1, (-)]
#16 f A¹ A2 [A² A3, A6, A7, (-)]

V. The oath-breaking

The poison crosses the boundaries, evil no longer knows a place. The poisoned iron breaks its oath and cuts indiscriminately into the flesh.

#17 f (-)

VI. The incantation and the resolution

The curse does not end in a ban but in a resolution. To gain power over the iron, one imparts knowledge to the object — describing the birth of the iron to the iron itself is part of the shamanic process; the magical rite is performed to tame the evil hidden within the iron. Man and iron share the same origin — therein lies the possibility of healing.

#18 g (1) T8
#19 g (2) T7
#20 g (3) T6
#21 g (4) T5
#22 g (5) T4
#23 g (6) T3
#24 g (7) T2
#25 g 1,5,2,3,8

Signs and symbols

A area
T takt
E element
P procedure
# entry
[ ] within the same area
#(n) number of entries
(n) size of unit
≈ is corresponding for all elements
V vertical
H horizontal
ⁿ ordinal number
| or

This composition has been written using THE BEAUTIFUL FORMULA LANGUAGE.

THE BEAUTIFUL FORMULA LANGUAGE allows to create new compositions and to notate already existing paintings.

We are constantly working on the improvement of THE BEAUTIFUL FORMULA LANGUAGE.

Please, feel free to send us your suggestion, comment or any kind of question.

Oleksiy Koval and THE BEAUTIFUL FORMULA COLLECTIVE

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