Beyond the outskirts of the city, where human-centered existence is swallowed into an arid end, the planisphere of sand homes many actants in which other forms of life seem to be born. Amid noise pollution, technology overwhelming, rush hours, chaotic lockdowns, Guillaume Rouseré and Alya Al-Khalifa feature a dialogue reflecting on the movement and transformations of singing sand dunes, desert field grass, mangrove, and the Musfur Sinkhole––apparently invisible, apparently still, apparently dead. On the pieces, there is an upholding on the impossibility of comprehending its subtle fate, whereupon the ceaseless flux of nature becomes abstractions and acoustic compositions. A Quiet Transit is an invitation to stay silent, open your mind, and let your senses travel with panoramic intuitiveness among these four ecosystems, brought to reflect on the coexistence between time and perception in environments seemingly provisional. None of the birds, winds, or creeps are here, but their reminiscence will guide you through a journey that just memories, in combination with emotions, will tell where to go. This reflection recalls what is known in sound art as pos-natural acoustic ecology, and present in Rouseré’s and Al-Khalifa’s work. This approach to ecology brings to the discussion, not just the role of the presence of nature but its potential disappearance. Sounds that are witnessing the change of time from life cycles to clockwork. Through these acts of listening, the absent nature entices questions about humanity’s predestination and the unavoidable laissez-passer of the world’s transmutation.
Curated by David Felipe Suárez Mira
Presented at Doha Fire Station Acts of Listening from Future Generations, Act I, Gallery 3, 2021
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Guillaume Rouseré A Quiet Transit 2020-2021 Multichannel installation, 360-degree sound composition, active speakers. Guillaume (1977, France) is influenced by his environment and culture, and the history of places and objects. He expresses his emotions and perceptions of the contemporary world through his work as a simple witness of our society. Alya Al-Khalifa A Quiet Transit 2020-2021 Acrylic on canvas Alya Al-Khalifa’s work focuses on the idea of movement. She experiments with different mark-making techniques through drawing and mixed-media. Throughout her practice, she observes the human experience as a collective, and how individuals move as groups, influenced by the rules of human nature and the nature that surrounds us.
