JENS L. THOMSEN is an award-winning composer, artist, and producer based in the Faroe Islands. He holds an MSc in Environmental and Architectural Acoustics from London South Bank University and a BA in Music Technology from the University of West London. His work typically explores the intersection of art, technology, and the environment.

Notable sound installations include NORÐ, commissioned by the Southbank Centre in London; FØROYAR 5.2, where he used mountains as seismic instruments; ÆÐR, a permanent audio piece transmitted 24/7 in the Eysturoyartunnil subsea tunnel; and KOKS, a soundscape created for the Michelin-starred restaurant — currently exhibited at the Oslo National Museum, with upcoming showings in Seattle and New York.

Jens works from his custom-built production studio in Tórshavn, is credited on more than 100 releases and has worked with artists such as Yann Tiersen, Stephen O’Malley, Argy, Eivør, Gareth Jones (Depeche Mode), Andy Bell (Erasure), and Travis.

Through his project ORKA, he has received two nominations for the Nordic Council Music Prize and has toured across Europe, the Americas, and Asia, collaborating with artists including Luca Perry (Romy MD), Alap Momin (co-founder of Dälek), LV (Hyperdub) and Yann Tiersen. He has also performed as part of Tiersen’s live band for the past eight years.CreationProduction

Birds With WingsInteractive Soundscape Installation2025
Commissioned by Tonik and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Birds With Wings is a collaborative soundscape installation created for the Tonik arts event, with a second life at World Expo 2025 in Japan. Rather than composing in isolation, the piece invites public participation—allowing the audience to contribute their voices as part of the larger composition.

Set within the immersive environment of a Sound Garden, visitors are guided to record their voices using an on-site microphone and interactive tablet interface. Throughout the day, these individual expressions are layered into a living, evolving soundscape.

The final composition, shaped by many contributions, will be transported to Japan, where new voices will continue the sonic conversation. In an era marked by division, Birds With Wings seeks to build bridges through sound. By collecting voices from different cultures and languages, the work aspires to create a unified human voice.


Concept & Composition: Jens L. Thomsen
Audio Software Development: Dirk Handreke
Lighting Design: Villiam Soo Joensen
UI Design: Miðberg
Set Design: Atlanta
Photography: Gwenaël Akira Helmsdal Carré

ÆÐRA Subsea Tunnel Soundscape2024 / 2020
ÆÐR (meaning ‘vein’ in English) is a unique, atmospheric soundscape, exploring modernity and post-war freedom through a Faroese lens. Commissioned for Eysturoyartunnil, a 12km subsea tunnel - the largest of its kind - in Jens’ native Faroe Islands, a structural marvel with striking art. The soundscape lives as a live audio installation, broadcast around the clock on FM radio for anyone travelling through the tunnel. This is the first time a soundscape has been permanently installed and broadcast via this kind of technical solution and is an example of Jens’ innovative approach to creating art. 

A paean to human endeavour and the developmental history of humanity, the tunnel is at once progressive and ancient: a liminal setting where late-modern and pre-modern longings somehow seem to rub off on each other. These intersecting ideas are translated into a striking soundscape of dark drones, creeping frequencies, bleeping ambience, groaning masses of sound, and pulsating echoes from the hidden world beneath us. The underworld that we somehow are able to move through temporarily in our car under the sea, giving the tunnel and the islands a voice of their own, while exploring the parallels between the tunnel and Faroese society today.

This uniquely immersive and compelling work, previously existing only as a transitory experience for users of the Eysturoyartunnil, is now available on vinyl for the first time to be considered and enjoyed in all its fascinating detail. A thought-provoking and groundbreaking piece from one of Europe’s most exceptional composers and sound artists today. Order vinyl here.

The soundscape can be heard in Eysturoyartunnil by tuning into FM97.

Concept & Composition: Jens L. Thomsen
Artwork: Kirstin Helgadóttir
Mastering: Jason Goz
Photography: Gwenaël Akira Helmsdal Carré

Sound’s Hidden Journey Under Nordic WatersImmersive Soundscape Exhibition 2024 

In the underwater realm, sound travels four times faster than in air. It confuses our sense of direction, and as sound flows, not just through our ears but directly through the tissue of the body — the boundary between self and surroundings begins to blur. We enter a liminal state: disoriented, ambiguous, fluid, yet full of potential for new insight. What if we brought this state of mind to the surface?

Sound’s Hidden Journey Under Nordic Waters is a sound art exhibition that explores our deep connection to water—and raises urgent questions about our evolving relationship with nature. The work is rooted in unique underwater reverb recordings, captured in remote and resonant sites: from deep lakes in Arctic Finland to the silent fjords of Greenland and the Faroe Islands.

Four Nordic artists—each profoundly influenced by water in their practice—respond to these recordings in their own distinct way. Their interpretations flow between philosophy and science, myth and ethics, aesthetics and environment.

The journey culminated in a joint sound installation, presented by Nordic Culture Point at Suomenlinna, Helsinki.

Composed by Jens L. Thomsen, Laila Skovmand & Petri Kuljuntausta.
Sound Engineer: Roma Komar
Hydrophones sponsored by Teledyne Reson
Research Support by Aarhus University & University of South Denmark 

Rødd // Roynd 00
Immersive Soundscape Composition 2024 

Commissioned by the ISCM World New Music Days, this work premiered at Finsen, Tórshavn, on June 25th, 2024.

The work unfolds as an immersive journey through vast, oceanic soundscapes, rooted in ancient, Faroese vocal traditions that seem to echo from the seabed itself. Drawing inspiration from the resonances of lost songs and the cultural memory embedded in maritime life, the piece channels the haunting timbre of ancestral singing—laments carried by water and time. These echoes give voice to generations of sailors who ventured into the open sea, many never to return, their fates intertwined with the rhythms of survival and sacrifice.

Here, the sea is more than a setting; it becomes a living force—both nurturing and merciless. It is depicted as the eternal provider that feeds the community, but also as the unforgiving taker of lives, holding both memory and mystery within its depths.

Thomsen’s work invites listeners into a liminal sonic environment, one in which the boundaries between land and water, death and life, begin to dissolve. It is an auditory meditation on the fragile line between survival and silence.

Composed by Jens L. Thomsen

ALL AT ONCE Studio Album2023
ORKA release their much anticipated sixth studio album All At Once available on vinyl and digital via Kervið on 29th September 2023.

Luca Perry from London and Jens L. Thomsen from the Faroe Islands aka ORKA’s long awaited sixth studio All At Once is an immersive opus that embodies the duo’s distinctive blend of earthy tones and a bold, adventurous spirit. Over ten tracks we are taken to a uniquely ORKA realm bursting with neon-lit hues, pulsating club beats, and an abundance of sensory stimulation that embraces themes of duality, connection and their combined story as artists and performers.

The collective result is ORKA’s own brand of queer erotic dance-floor mysticism, a shimmering futurist city of the night: collective, inclusive and alluring. All At Once signifies yet another remarkable leap forward in the duos’ artistic evolution, filled with unexpected twists and turns and as always, eternally captivating. A glorious and vibrant tapestry, we witness the merging of two exceptional artists in one compelling vision, mirrored in the album’s artwork by Kirstin Helgadóttir who combined the pair’s faces to create another figure that is both and neither at the same time.

Showcasing a bold approach to techno that pulsates with energy and forefronts their artistry as live performers, All At Once cements ORKA as one of the most captivating and urgent electronic acts around today. An unmissable record that brims with complex ideas and technical prowess, and a must-see experienced live at their launch show at Iklectik in London on the 5th of October.

Order vinyl here

ORKA Pick Out Their Night Bus Playlist on Clash
ORKA  speak to Electronic Groove
ORKA on 15 Questions

KING LEARSound Design 2023
Det Ferösche Compagnie’s production of King Lear.

DFC's King Lear is a bold and visionary exploration—an unflinching plunge into the unsettling void of nothingness.

This deeply personal project is led by director Búi Dam and centers on his most cherished artist: his mother, Birita Mohr, a retired actress now living with severe Alzheimer's disease. Her presence infuses the production with both emotional urgency and profound authenticity.

With this staging, DFC presents a work that is at once a powerful homage and a pointed social critique—paying tribute to a remarkable actress while confronting society’s often inadequate treatment of those affected by memory loss.

Director -  Búi Dam │ Set Design - Sámal Blak│Composer - Dánjal á Neystabö│Sound Design - Jens L. Thomsen│Lighting Design -  Matthew Richardson│Choreography, Co-Director - Búi Rouch│Costume Design - Sólvör Jacobsen│Makeup Artist - Dögg Nónsgjógv│Set and Costume Design Assistant - Anna Kristin Bæk│Set Builder - Björn Simonsen│Sound Technician - Baldur Kampmann│Ligthing Programmer - Villiam Soo Joensen│Ligthing Technician - Jákup Thögersen│Producer - Durita Sumberg

Cast - Birita Mohr, Egi Dam, Kristina Sörensen Ougaard, Gunnvá Zachariasen, Súsanna Tórgarð, Ria Tórgarð, Hans Tórgarð, Bárður Persson, Búi Dam, Anny Joensen Thorsen og Björn Simonsen
Brass Band - Rebekka Hjörleifsdóttir, Guðrun Sólja Jacobsen, Elin Guttesen, Eydna E. Petersen, Eirik Suni Danielsen, Marius Joensen and John Mikkelsen

Musicians: Rúni Mouritsen, Dánjal á Neystabö

FØROYAR 5.2Immersive AV Installation2022 / 2012
What do the Faroe Islands sound like? This was the question that composer Jens L. Thomsen and geologist Uni Árting asked themselves when they were commissioned to create a work for the European Researchers’ Night. Their playful answer to the question is presented in the installation FØROYAR 5.2.

To capture the unique sounds of the Faroese underground Uni Árting and Jens L. Thomsen travelled to five seismic stations across the Faroe Islands.  These stations, strategically located on Suðuroy, Vágar, Streymoy, Svínoy, and in the capital Tórshavn, represent the cardinal points of North, South, East, and West, with Tórshavn situated in the middle.

Árting and Thomsen recorded seismic vibrations in bedrock, cliffs and quarries and these recordings have since been sampled, composed and produced into a complete musical piece. Furthermore, the travels to the seismic stations, the preparations and the actual sound recordings were documented on video cameras and this footage is used in the work itself. Consequently FØROYAR 5.2 is an audio-visual installation in which the actual process becomes a part of the work.

In 2022, FØROYAR 5.2 was adapted for virtual reality (VR) as part of the exhibition Changing Landscapes at the Faroese National Gallery. The installation was recreated within a virtual cave, where four speakers and screens represented the cardinal points, and an additional fifth speaker and screen were positioned on the ceiling to represent Tórshavn.

Created by Jens L. Thomsen and Uni Árting
Producer: Urd Johannesen, The Nordic House in the Faroe Islands
Image Technicians: Rúni Friis Kjær, Heðin Ziska Davidsen, Jón Sand Davidsen
Seismic Technician: Uni Petersen
Camera: Petur Pólson (Suðuroy), Jóanes Árting (Vík), Kirstin Helgadóttir (Svínoy), Rúni Friis Kjær (introduction) 
Video Editing: Heiðrik á Heygum (introduction), Uni Árting and Rúni Friis Kjær (documentary) Thomas Koba (FØROYAR 5.2)
Trailer: Heiðrik á Heygum
Production Technology: No Parking Production
Graphic Design: Kirstin Helgadóttir
Leaflet Text: Knút H. Eysturstein
VR Developer: Bárður Fríi Mikladal
VR Technician: Barbara Biskopstø

MANNAÁTARI
Video Art2020
MANNAÁTARI [Cannibal] is a collage film that was created using VHS tapes from the 1980s, maintaining an entirely analog approach throughout its creation. The film draws inspiration from the writings of Mark Fisher, particularly his exploration of how the past is continually recycled and repurposed. The title itself, "MANNAÁTARI," refers to the asynchronic repetition that occurs in this process.

By employing obsolete medias and embracing analog cutting techniques, MANNAÁTARI taps into haunotological aesthetics while exploring themes of cultural recycling and the eternal recontextualization of the past.

The film was featured as part of the Always Coming Home contemporary exhibition 2020.

GENERATION LOSSVideo Art2020
GENERATION LOSS samples a clip from the 1964 sci-fi Time Travellers. The clip is copied from one VHS tape to another 135 times.  With each copy, the image quality progressively deteriorates, resulting in washed-out colors, warped image and sound, and eventually transforming into abstract noise.

The piece takes inspiration from hauntological teachings which suggest that mankind has lost the ability to envision a future different from the present. 

The sampled clip depicts scientists who accidentally travel too far back in time, and this pivotal moment is replayed endlessly in the project. By offering the option to rewind the tape and start from the beginning, the audience is invited to contemplate the cyclical nature of time and the potential for new perspectives.

The film was featured as part of the Ólavsøkuframsýningin exhibition at the Faroe Islands National Gallery in 2020. GENERATION LOSS was made available for purchase as limited edition VHS copies.

EysturPermanent AV Installation at Eystur Town Hall2018
Commissioned by Eysturkommuna, in collaboration with Henning Larsen Architects

This permanent, site-specific audiovisual installation was conceived as an integral part of the construction of Eystur Town Hall, in close collaboration with Henning Larsen Architects. The building itself spans a river—functioning not just as a civic centre but as a bridge that physically connects the towns of Eysturkommuna. This architectural gesture of connection is mirrored in the installation, which seeks to unite the region’s five towns through sound and image.

Designed to be experienced from the outside, the installation turns the building into a resonant, living surface. Surface speakers are mounted directly onto the panoramic windows and beneath the exterior cladding, allowing the structure to “speak” through its own materials. Weatherproof subwoofers embedded in the surrounding ground provide low-frequency depth, grounding the piece in its environment.

Inside, a 10-metre projection spans an interior wall, where projection mapping is used to animate and interact with five architectural doors—each representing one of the five towns in the municipality. To connect these communities sonically, I travelled to all five locations to make field recordings, which I then wove into a layered soundscape composition.

The resulting work balances individuality and collectivity: highlighting the unique voices of each town while blending them into a shared sensory experience. Viewed and heard only from outside the transparent façade, the installation transforms the town hall into both a symbolic and literal bridge—connecting people through architecture, sound, and place.

Artist & Composer: Jens L. Thomsen
Commissioned by: Eysturkommuna
Architects: Henning Larsen
Technical Partner: No Parking Production
Animation Technician: Oscar Barany

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