Home(,) Calling is a project that explores the ambiguity of sound in relation to the sense of belonging. The multimedia installation displays a repetitive cognitive process in which an ice cube continuously makes multiple choices to identify its feelings toward different sounds: home, foreign, or unknown. By answering the question, the ice cube rotates itself toward one of three UVA lights, which turns on and indicates the cube’s choice. This response brings heat upon the ice, reshaping its form. This is a process of self-identification by navigating oneself in its surrounding, assessing and re-evaluating its identity in response to external forces.
Unlike visual stimuli that offer immediate and concrete impressions, sound unfolds over time, making it inherently transient and fluid. This ephemeral nature of sound intertwines with memory and emotion, often evoking feelings of familiarity or disorientation. As we perceive sound, it anchors moments in time, weaving connections between past experiences and present environments. Thereby I propose a possibility to trace the contours of belonging via sound. By associating, re-imagining, we find familiarity on the other side of earth. This work encourages the audience to participate in the decision-making process, as no indications are labeled on the installation.
This project was exhibited at SEE DJERBA international media art festival at Houmt Souk, Djerba, Tunis in Tunis Heritage Museum. The installation plays a soundtrack that is composed of soundscapes that I sourced from 3 different places: my hometowns/home-countries and Djerba. After the 10 days of working with local community and exchanging with fellow artists who were also attending the festival, and much more walking and talking and listening in the streets of Djerba, the sonified experience of mine being on this land blends into my very own personal narrative.
Feature
See,Djerba International Media Art Project Houmt Souk 2024-Tunis