Eternal Stutters of Memory - Chimes of the city | 2025

Eternal Stutters of Memory - Chimes of the City is an installation that delves into the concept of words and sounds as an eternal force—energy carried through space by wind, evoking the stuttering fragments of memory.

Spoken words are energy, and like water flowing through a river, wind is the tool that carries this energy across the air, transporting sound from one place to another. In this piece, wind is not merely a passive element but a catalyst, a bridge between senses—touch and sound. The wind moves the metal fragments, causing them to touch and vibrate, translating tactile sensations into audible vibrations. These vibrations travel through the air, creating sound waves that we can hear, completing an interaction between the eternal, passing sounds of the place and the present touch of words etched into the metal.

The installation, located in the alleyways of the historic Shindagha district, becomes a living dialogue between material, space, and nature. Shindagha’s architecture, with its iconic Barjeels—wind towers that encourage air flow in traditional Emirati homes— provides a perfect backdrop for this exploration. The wind, interacting with the typographic fragments of memory, gives voice to the memory of stutters and words from the artist’s grandmother’s storytelling, creating a dynamic soundscape that reflects the unpredictable nature of the environment.

The sound produced by the wind chimes is not simply random. It results from the wind’s movement—striking the metal fragments in chance-based patterns, creating a symphony of sound that reflects the location’s unique cultural and environmental context. The vibrations of the metal fragments, derived from the wind’s “touch,” are translated into energy that reverberates through the air, merging the invisible with the audible.