Swirling with music, floral fragrance and video, Sama: The Divine Listening Room invites you to participate in sama. A Sufi ritual common in dargahs or shrines, sama creates a connection to the divine through deep listening and meditation.
Sama is part of a series of works by Arshia Fatima Haq. Exploring embodiment, mysticism, and Sufi knowledge through various artistic mediums, Haq's projects have gained global recognition, exhibited at prestigious venues worldwide. In this iteration she partners with sound artist Yara Mekawei. Influenced by architecture, social history, and philosophical literature, Mekawei's compositions convey concepts through sophisticated sound practices, translating musical conversations into visual forms.
Together, Arshia and Yara attempt to bridge cultural narratives and recreate the idea of homes and sacred spaces among population groups who live away from their home countries, either forcibly or by choice.
ultimAdvisor
Sommerro
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Meditation station
From the moment we walked in and saw the inviting carpets and rugs spread around the space and smelled the intoxicating scent of rose petals and carnations, we knew this was going to be an event to appeal to all the senses. It’s a very generous and immersing environment that Arshia and Yara have created.
Sathnam2022
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Sacred bliss
I knew Arshia’s work from her record label Discostan, a collaborative decolonial project featuring Asian and North African sounds, which will be presented at the Deichman library tomorrow, also as part of Ultima. So, I had to come here to see more of what she is doing. Sama was a meditative and alluring sound experience. It felt like witnessing a devotional experience to which I did not belong, but in which I could not avoid taking part.
