Uploaded November 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
This is the one of a number of kinetic sound sculptures for Turner Prize-winning artist Lawrence Abu Hamdan. They are installed in Urban Park, just off the Corniche, in Abu Dhabi as part of the inaugural Public Art Biennial by Public Art Abu Dhabi.
Lawrence's concept stems from the old Damascene tradition of having intimate and private conversations next to fountains to prevent other people overhearing you. "Wsh wsh" is Arabic for "whisper". These public fountain interventions are intended to amplify that speech-masking effect - harnessing the power of the water flow to generate even more sound - and they are a commentary on the surveillance age, the erosion of privacy and, less directly, the multi-faceted geopolitics of water.
Later, Lawrence will produce a documentary film called "The Conversation (flows)" which will incorporate these fountain sculptures and was, in part, inspired by "The Conversation", the classic 1974 film written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Gene Hackman.
It has been great fun, and I had a great international team helping out there in the heat and humidity for days on end to bring this all together. Shout out to Harry Erskine at Soldura Motorsport in the UK for helping with welding duties for this too.
This is the one of a number of kinetic sound sculptures for Turner Prize-winning artist Lawrence Abu Hamdan. They are installed in Urban Park, just off the Corniche, in Abu Dhabi as part of the inaugural Public Art Biennial by Public Art Abu Dhabi.
Lawrence's concept stems from the old Damascene tradition of having intimate and private conversations next to fountains to prevent other people overhearing you. "Wsh wsh" is Arabic for "whisper". These public fountain interventions are intended to amplify that speech-masking effect - harnessing the power of the water flow to generate even more sound - and they are a commentary on the surveillance age, the erosion of privacy and, less directly, the multi-faceted geopolitics of water.
Later, Lawrence will produce a documentary film called "The Conversation (flows)" which will incorporate these fountain sculptures and was, in part, inspired by "The Conversation", the classic 1974 film written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Gene Hackman.
It has been great fun, and I had a great international team helping out there in the heat and humidity for days on end to bring this all together. Shout out to Harry Erskine at Soldura Motorsport in the UK for helping with welding duties for this too.
