ENTER EXHIBITION
VISIT ARCHIVE
The Act of Touch - A Resonance of World's Ends weaves together audio materials collected with
the eyes and ears of artists around the world in 24 hours. As a witness to the shifting dynamics of
the world, this sonic correspondence deciphers the echoes that define the essence of a single day
in history— 31 March, 2022, one month after the onset of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
A Resonance of World's Ends is a sonic fragment connecting the disparate threads of our global narrative. It represents one of the artist’s perspectives of the world's song—a sonic postcard with the backdrop of the current heart-wrenching humanitarian crisis in Palestine and the haunting echoes of Gaza. This sonic postcard tells a story for a collective listening, underscoring the importance of bearing witness to the entire spectrum of our world, considering the unheard, the invisible, and the in-between.
The Act of Touch project was initiated by the artist in correspondence with the global COVID-19 pandemic with collective video recordings for 24 hours on 31 March 2020. It has evolved into a global ritual of togetherness, an ongoing endeavor that reveals the intricate interplay between history and the collective human memory in the face of global events that redefine the world as we know it.
Recordings by Alexander Cigana, Amanda Kerdahi, Anya Kravchenko, Christine Kazaryan with Denis Sorokin (cornet) and Andrei Popovskiy, Georgia Lottin, Kai Simon, Karen Keyrouz, Lukas Zerbst, Mariagrazia Pontorno, Nina Baratti, Nour Hifaoui, Raymond Gemayel, Rita Hajj, Romeu Silveira, Shoko Yamamura, Steve Stevensito,Teresa Soldini, Victor Abbey-hart, and Shatha Al-Deghady, as part of The Act of Touch project.
The artist Shatha Afify was selected by Zaira Oram from among the artists studying in the sound department at EDHEA (CH), the art school partner of OTO SOUND MUSEUM.
Biography:
Shatha Al-Deghady, also known as Shatha Afify, is an Egyptian interdisciplinary artist born in Cairo in 1987, committed to exploring diverse artistic mediums such as sound, performance, and sculpture. She pursued a Master's degree in art in Public Spheres at EDHEA, building on her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Cairo 2009, and participating in specialized programs, like the Home Workspace Program at Ashkal Alwan in 2021. Shatha's focus shifted significantly in 2012 in response to the Egyptian revolution of 2011, exploring themes related to the role of psychology in shaping perception and truth, power dynamics, and self-liberation in the journey towards freedom, exemplified in her early artwork "Dare to Doubt." Shatha's art serves as a form of covert rebellion against socio-political constraints and has been featured in various exhibitions, delving into themes such as the enduring power of resistance, the resilience of the human spirit, and the interplay between absence and presence, as seen in her recent project "A Rebel’s Loving Heart in Three States." Shatha has been part of artist residencies, such as the Cité internationale des arts in Paris in 2020, and has received awards like the Mill's Beauty Reality Salon in Brussels in 2021. She actively contributes to the art community as an artist, educator, project coordinator, and is involved in curatorial practices, remaining dedicated to artistic experimentation and collaboration with fellow artists. She continues to explore intricate themes related to the human body, voice, language, and power struggles.
A Resonance of World's Ends is a sonic fragment connecting the disparate threads of our global narrative. It represents one of the artist’s perspectives of the world's song—a sonic postcard with the backdrop of the current heart-wrenching humanitarian crisis in Palestine and the haunting echoes of Gaza. This sonic postcard tells a story for a collective listening, underscoring the importance of bearing witness to the entire spectrum of our world, considering the unheard, the invisible, and the in-between.
The Act of Touch project was initiated by the artist in correspondence with the global COVID-19 pandemic with collective video recordings for 24 hours on 31 March 2020. It has evolved into a global ritual of togetherness, an ongoing endeavor that reveals the intricate interplay between history and the collective human memory in the face of global events that redefine the world as we know it.
Recordings by Alexander Cigana, Amanda Kerdahi, Anya Kravchenko, Christine Kazaryan with Denis Sorokin (cornet) and Andrei Popovskiy, Georgia Lottin, Kai Simon, Karen Keyrouz, Lukas Zerbst, Mariagrazia Pontorno, Nina Baratti, Nour Hifaoui, Raymond Gemayel, Rita Hajj, Romeu Silveira, Shoko Yamamura, Steve Stevensito,Teresa Soldini, Victor Abbey-hart, and Shatha Al-Deghady, as part of The Act of Touch project.
The artist Shatha Afify was selected by Zaira Oram from among the artists studying in the sound department at EDHEA (CH), the art school partner of OTO SOUND MUSEUM.
Biography:
Shatha Al-Deghady, also known as Shatha Afify, is an Egyptian interdisciplinary artist born in Cairo in 1987, committed to exploring diverse artistic mediums such as sound, performance, and sculpture. She pursued a Master's degree in art in Public Spheres at EDHEA, building on her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Cairo 2009, and participating in specialized programs, like the Home Workspace Program at Ashkal Alwan in 2021. Shatha's focus shifted significantly in 2012 in response to the Egyptian revolution of 2011, exploring themes related to the role of psychology in shaping perception and truth, power dynamics, and self-liberation in the journey towards freedom, exemplified in her early artwork "Dare to Doubt." Shatha's art serves as a form of covert rebellion against socio-political constraints and has been featured in various exhibitions, delving into themes such as the enduring power of resistance, the resilience of the human spirit, and the interplay between absence and presence, as seen in her recent project "A Rebel’s Loving Heart in Three States." Shatha has been part of artist residencies, such as the Cité internationale des arts in Paris in 2020, and has received awards like the Mill's Beauty Reality Salon in Brussels in 2021. She actively contributes to the art community as an artist, educator, project coordinator, and is involved in curatorial practices, remaining dedicated to artistic experimentation and collaboration with fellow artists. She continues to explore intricate themes related to the human body, voice, language, and power struggles.
14th November 2023 – 23rd January 2024
OTO SOUND MUSEUM constitutes an archive of sound works. The recognition and conservation of works of intangible nature is one of the missions that characterized the museum since its foundation. The presentation of soundscapes in the museum marks their entry into the collection, conceived as archive for consultation available to anyone interested.
The Act of Touch – A Resonance of World’s Ends, 2023
Shatha Afify (1987, EG)
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00:00 / 5m 34s, sound
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