Tarek Atoui, born in 1980 in Beirut, is an artist and composer. His work WATERS’ WITNESS is an ongoing project dedicated to capturing the distinctive sounds of port cities, from Athens to Abu Dhabi, Singapore, Beirut, Porto, Istanbul and now Sydney.
His work encompasses a composition of tangible and intangible forms – an installation, performances, publications and an archive of sounds – that continually evolve as each new harbour is added.
The very expansive include three newly commissioned sculptures inspired by Sydney Harbour and Port Botany, where Atoui recorded sounds with his collaborator Éric La Casa in March 2023. These new sculptures are embedded with Sydney sandstone as part of a sonic landscape installed in the Macgregor Gallery.
The exhibition curator Anna Davis writes, “Tarek Atoui is an artist and composer whose practice investigates the medium of sound. His work considers how sound can be experienced across multiple senses, the ways it acts as a catalyst for social interaction, and its relationship to place, history and ecology. Known for his collaborative performances and installations using handcrafted musical instruments, Atoui creates compositions that direct sound through organic materials which are often activated by the audience and other artists. He develops his projects over several years and in collaboration with an international network of musicians, instrument makers, technicians and people who are Deaf or hard of hearing.
WATERS’ WITNESS is based on Atoui’s ongoing project documenting the acoustic identities of port cities that are deeply connected to their harbours. Recording sounds close to the sea and under the water, Atoui produces a unique score for each city which becomes part of the work’s growing soundscape and a source of inspiration for new sound sculptures and musical devices. Connecting docks and waterfronts from Athens to Abu Dhabi, Singapore, Beirut, Porto, Istanbul and now Sydney, WATERS’ WITNESS is an immersive sonic landscape that is reimagined in a different format for each presentation. Live performances by Atoui and guests are programmed within the exhibition, together with a series of sound-based educational workshops.”
The exhibition TAREK ATOUI : WATERS’ WITNESS opened on 15 September 2023 and will be on view until 4 February 2024 in the Macgregor Gallery, Level 1, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia.
