8ULENTINA

UMM / AL ATLAL is a collaborative sound piece composed by Esra Canoğulları and Lara Sarkissian commissioned by sculptor Sahar Khoury as a part of her solo exhibition Umm at Wexner Center For The Arts in Columbus, Ohio. This hour-long piece deconstructs and abstracts a live performance of legendary Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum's song Al Atlal. Umm Kultum was known for live performances that lasted hours, with individual songs lasting up to an hour each, the crowd participation playing an essential role in these durational and enchanting live shows. UMM / AL ATLAL takes a similar approach to abstraction as Sahar’s sculptural radio tower- isolating and embedding individual lyrics while reinterpreting their form. The collaborative nature of this sound sculpture is our contemporary version of the audience call and response participation that is present in all of Umm Kulthum’s live performances. UMM / AL ATLAL played out of Sahar's radio tower every Thursday during the run of the exhibition to mirror Kuthum’s live concerts that were broadcast throughout the Arab world on the first Thursday of each month for decades. (Sculptures by Sahar Khoury, images via Wexner Center For The Arts)