Nadah El Shazly’s ‘Ahwar,’ on Nawa Recordings
One of the best albums of 2017 was Ahwar, the debut of the Egyptian singer, composer and producer Nadah El Shazly, whose voice is absolutely gorgeous, and whose music is deeply strange. So we consider ourselves lucky to have dibs on this animated video for the last song on Ahwar, “Mahmiya (Protectorate),” directed by the artist whose unshod sphinx graces the cover, Marwan Elgamal.
To me, the video represents the otherworldliness of Nadah El Shazly’s voice and the instability of its musical settings. But Marwan Elgamal’s own interpretation, kindly provided to DM, is more interesting than mine:
The idea for the animation came after internalizing the soundscape and words of Nadah El Shazly’s ‘Mahmiya’, it had a sensibility that seemed soothing and warm - vital and at peace, yet vast and unconcerned, like a sea, long since dried and fossilized, wherein the listener is placed without bearings. This brought about a story, a character and landscape where time and location are not classified.
In this place there is a condition of symmetry between the inner world of the girl and the outer landscape. She morphs and changes through her surroundings, and through these interactions the world is animated and energized. The land evolves and vegetates and soars and crumbles. Things occur as they will, and force is not exerted, but rather the events unfold without effort.
Time becomes represented as fluctuating and dilating, and our girl breathes, plays, creates, grows, and becomes conclusively unrecognisable, then to be brought back to the beginning of a cycle.
There seems to be an indefiniteness to the events, and change is constant, and she plays her part with no concern to consequence. The girl may be an extension of the land, a force of creation, a mechanical machine, or a little girl vulnerable to this ambiguous place full of unfamiliar entities. Through this ambiguity I hope to provide a visual counterpart to Nadah El Shazly’s touching song.
Photo by Alan Chies
Ahwar, on Nawa Recordings, is available from Amazon and Bandcamp; Forced Exposure has a few copies left on clear vinyl. Nadah El Shazly’s Facebook page lists several upcoming dates in Europe, you lucky ducks. Scroll to the bottom of the post for the video credits.
Story, Visual Design and Direction: Marwan Elgamal
Painting: Marwan Elgamal
Editing: Marwan Elgamal, Mazen Elgamal
Animation: Marwan Elgamal, Mazen Elgamal
Additional Assistance: Yamen Elgamal