Otucha is a Polish word that describes an act of care between two beings. To give otucha is to lift someone’s spirits—to offer encouragement and comfort.
At the very heart of our work lies a deep urge to profoundly explore the many dimensions of the human voice. We are drawn to its healing, empowering, and community-building qualities, especially in the context of social relationships and the environment.
Over time, we have developed a shared repertoire of traditional folk songs from Slavic musical heritage, alongside our own compositions and improvised vocal elements. We see traditional folk song as a living sound being—one that carries within its DNA a memory of ancient times. For us, a song is a vessel: it holds unique, timeless knowledge that has no clear origin and belongs to no one—it simply flows through the singing body. At the same time, singing together holds immense potential for bonding, support, and nourishment within a community.
We share our voices through concerts and site-specific vocal performances. It is essential for us to bring voice out of enclosed spaces and into the world—to connect with and respond to the unique acoustic qualities of a given environment in a raw and unamplified way, using the full expressive range of the voice. A significant part of our practice involves vocal interventions—blending song with facilitated voice work, co-created with the audience and tailored to specific places and moments.
Otucha Collective: Paulina Miu Kühling // Agnieszka Bulacik // Ola Zielinska // Julia Legezynska // Ewa Brokos
Instagram: @otucha_collective
a vocal artist, performer, and composer of Polish origin, currently based in Yerevan, Armenia. Her artistic practice centers on the human voice as a primary medium for exploring themes of identity, memory, and place. Drawing on Slavic oral traditions, she integrates ancient folk songs with original compositions and contemporary socio-environmental narratives.
Kuehling creates site-specific vocal performances, co-authors interdisciplinary art projects, and leads original voice workshops for women. Her work often engages with local communities, highlighting embodied knowledge and collective memory through sound. In 2022, she founded Otucha Collective, a platform for experimental vocal work, collaboration, and cultural continuity across borders.
Kühling performed and led workshops internationally, both as a solo artist and in various artistic collaborations. My work has been presented at venues and institutions such as Fundacion Mar Adentro, Santiago de Chile (CL), Uferstudios, Berlin (DE), Freiburg Theater (DE), Radialsystem, Berlin (DE), Berliner Festspiele, Berlin (DE), Institut for (X), Aarhus (DK), Netzwerk IMPULS, Halle (DE), Burg Giebichenstein Kunsthochschule, Halle (DE), Jatiwangi Art Factory, Java (ID), Arko Theatre/ Mullae Arts Space, Seoul (KR), Between Sky & Sea, Herdla (NOR), Binaural/Nodar, Vouzela (PRT), Teatr Kana, Szczecin (PL), Contexts, Sokolowsko (PL), Munetik Symposium, Yerevan (AM).
Photo by Paulina Miu Kühling