ŠU.ÍL.LÁ : GI.ÍL.LÁ

solo female flutist/voice/percussion
with electronic prelude

ŠU.ÍL.LÁ is the Sumerian logographic name for a well-attested Mesopotamian prayer ritual meaning “the lifting of the hand.” In Akkadian the expression is read
**qātam našû** [ˈqaː.tam naˈʃuː], literally “to raise the hand.” The ritual was a personal act of supplication performed while standing before a deity, in which
the raised hands themselves constituted the prayer as much as the spoken words.

The title GI.ÍL.LÁ is a newly formed parallel to this ancient formula. The Sumerian sign GI denotes “reed” or “flute,” while ÍL.LÁ corresponds to the verb “to
lift.” By analogy with ŠU.ÍL.LÁ, the expression may be read in Akkadian as embūbam našû [emˈbuː.bam naˈʃuː] — “the lifting of the flute.” The phrase
reimagines the traditional gesture of raised hands as an instrumental act in which the flute becomes the medium of prayer and ritual speech.

Together, ŠU.ÍL.LÁ : GI.ÍL.LÁ traces a transformation from bodily gesture to sounding instrument — from the silent elevation of the hands to the elevation of
breath as music.