'Bassline- Zār’ centres around the zār ritual, which originates from North East Africa to regions of the Middle East, including Southern regions of Iran such as Qeshm and Bandar Abbas. The ritual is used to cure and treat those who are ill or possessed by the zār spirit/demon. The ceremony can last up to seven days with non-stop trance-dancing, chanting and drumming.
“During the singing, when the zār hears its related music, it makes itself known through the body of the patient, who feels a strong inner urge to move. Every spirit has its own piece of music and some members of the cult, may start moving and shaking with every piece of the music. The leader cannot identify the zār until the patient reacts to the music, so musicians change the tune until the zār takes over the afflicted; the signs of this occurrence appear when the upper body and the head swing and the shoulders shake”. -Zār Spirit Possession in Iran and African Countries’- Fahimeh Mianji and Yousef Semnani.
‘Bassline- Zār’ samples parts of this ritual ceremony; combining low frequency-pitched sounds with tactile vibrations. Bass becomes a site of ritual implode, causing depressed blood flow in the brain, changes in pulse and blood pressure, pressure in the ear, and an inability to concentrate. This reflects a personal, cultural recollection of sonic tropes taken from an upbringing in West Yorkshire, influenced by ‘Niche’, subwoofer bass systems, tinny female vocals and 4x4 garage. This scene very much contrasts the current criminalisation of female vocalists and dance culture in Tehran. A sonic tension that is reflected into a site of complex, cultural rupture, where viewers are invited to sit down, as appose to stand up. Similar to the zār ceremony, participants congregate in a ‘U shape’ “as the healer tries to find out the reasons behind the affliction and what the spirit wants in exchange for leaving the patient alone”.
“During the singing, when the zār hears its related music, it makes itself known through the body of the patient, who feels a strong inner urge to move. Every spirit has its own piece of music and some members of the cult, may start moving and shaking with every piece of the music. The leader cannot identify the zār until the patient reacts to the music, so musicians change the tune until the zār takes over the afflicted; the signs of this occurrence appear when the upper body and the head swing and the shoulders shake”. -Zār Spirit Possession in Iran and African Countries’- Fahimeh Mianji and Yousef Semnani.
‘Bassline- Zār’ samples parts of this ritual ceremony; combining low frequency-pitched sounds with tactile vibrations. Bass becomes a site of ritual implode, causing depressed blood flow in the brain, changes in pulse and blood pressure, pressure in the ear, and an inability to concentrate. This reflects a personal, cultural recollection of sonic tropes taken from an upbringing in West Yorkshire, influenced by ‘Niche’, subwoofer bass systems, tinny female vocals and 4x4 garage. This scene very much contrasts the current criminalisation of female vocalists and dance culture in Tehran. A sonic tension that is reflected into a site of complex, cultural rupture, where viewers are invited to sit down, as appose to stand up. Similar to the zār ceremony, participants congregate in a ‘U shape’ “as the healer tries to find out the reasons behind the affliction and what the spirit wants in exchange for leaving the patient alone”.
'Bassline-Zār’
2017
Sound Installation/Ritual
Sony Subwoofer Speaker, Yamaha Subwoofer Speaker, Pioneer Active Subwoofer Speaker, Anker Soundbar Speaker, PA System, Latex, Acrylic Paint, Water Transfer Paper, MDF, Solder Metal
2017
Sound Installation/Ritual
Sony Subwoofer Speaker, Yamaha Subwoofer Speaker, Pioneer Active Subwoofer Speaker, Anker Soundbar Speaker, PA System, Latex, Acrylic Paint, Water Transfer Paper, MDF, Solder Metal