Zifzafa is an Arabic word describing a wind that shakes and rattles everything in its path. Lawrence Abu Hamdan has created a work which demonstrates the effect that more than 30 planned wind turbines will have upon the inhabitants of the occupied Golan Heights.
Lawrence Abu Hamdan takes you through the landscape in a guided play-through, showing the impact of the planned 250-metre wind turbines. Their mechanical roar merges with recordings of children at play, bees buzzing, birds singing. Abu Hamdan also includes a video of saxophonist Amr Mdah, playing from the balcony of one of the area’s small houses. Together, these elements form an acoustic portrait of the Golan Heights: both a warning of what stands to be lost and a record of the community’s resilience.
As well as being a powerful installation in itself, the work also addresses important critical questions to do with the green movement and those who suffer in the transition to so-called clean energy. This is especially relevant in connection with the current anti-wind turbine protests here in Norway/Sápmi.
The exhibition is curated by Tominga O’Donnell.
Text from MUNCH
Image: Lawrence Abu Hamdan. Zifzafa. 2024. Still from virtual reality audio platform. Image courtesy of the artist
