Global Art Forum 2016

The Future Was... Underwater

14 mins 17 secs

What happens when islanders stop looking out to sea and instead look back in land? What are the cultural effects of a changing coastline? In this audio-visual performance, artist Hasan Hujairi introduced us to fidjeri songs or 'sea music'. Featuring samples of fidjeri songs, traditionally sung by pearl diving communities in the Gulf, and consisting of an all-male chorus and solo singer with minimal percussion, the performance also featured video archive of early fidjeri performances and the changing coastline of Bahrain. This performance followed a conversation between Hujairi and Amal Khalaf as they traced the resonances of fidjeri featuring anecdotes of the myth of the origin of the music form, its close links to zaar music, how Concorde effected music production on the island and the effects of land reclamation on Bahraini culture.    

Hasan Hujairi (born 1982) is a composer, sound artist, and researcher who lives and works between Seoul (South Korea) and Manama (Bahrain). His works explore his interest in historiography, maritime cultures, technology, and the dissemination of knowledge.