United Arab Emirates

Washwasha is a phonetic trasliteration of the Arabic word for “whisper” that evokes subtle, often intimate, and selective forms of communication. The artists take the idea of washwasha as a starting point to explore themes of migration, technology, oral histories, and the relationship between language, body, and identity. These themes reflect the lived conditions of many who shape and are shaped by the UAE’s cultural landscape.

Within the exhibition, the works include recordings of intangible histories, preserving them while acknowledging their inherent elusiveness. Alternatively, some works mark contemplations of sound that accompany urban landscapes and the technological and architectural evolutions that continually transform them. Still, others think about the challenges of capturing sound and memory as it relates to migration and communication. The exhibition reflects on how shifts in infrastructure, whether architectural, technological, or social, have transformed the ways communities hear and are heard.