7adir-Ghā2ib // Present Absence

“7adir-Ghā2ib,” Arabic for ‘present absence’, explores memory through sound by examining what haunts the Mediterranean city. Departing from the sea, “7adir-Ghā2ib” moves inwards towards Alexandria to understand both the relationship of residents with the sea, and the impact of urban change on the city. The piece infuses sounds based on field recordings in Alexandria, Marseille, and Athens with personal histories in Alexandria to explore the ‘present absence’ of the Mediterranean. Using both sound and text, “7adir-Ghā2ib” weaves together space and time in Alexandria in an homage to the writer's roots by the sea.