Rippling Otherwise

With the second sonic commission with Rippling Otherwise for SAVVYZAAR, we are excited to introduce Above Our Waters – an ongoing sonic research series by Dhia Douss and Qusay Awad born out of the shared waters of the Mediterranean Sea, their myths, and the lives of fishers. Dhia grew up on the coast of Tunisia, while Qusay is from the mountains of southern Syria, first learning to swim at the Syrian Mediterranean coast. Above Our Waters centers this ocean and its secrets, its histories and presences of migration, and its colonizations and relations to collective identity. 

The project aims to blend multidisciplinary storytelling with cultural heritages and their transcendence, to develop a language that crosses the personal with the fictional and symbolic weights of the water above, and across, terrains.

The presented audio experience showcases a tapestry of soundscapes blending the classical with the experimental, featuring the works of artists connected to the Above Our Waters platform. The auditory journey bridges diasporic worlds in Berlin and beyond, intersecting rhythms and sounds that exceed borders and time. The project prioritizes the reimagining of spaces for listening and gathering, to create ripples of change in the way we experience sound and community.

Featured artists part of this mix include Falyakon, Mandhla, Khyam Allami, Ruhail Qaisar, Shersh, Nour Sokhon, Grillac, as well as self-produced tracks by project founders, Dhia and Qusay. The immersive soundscape stands as a testament to identity, belonging, and the complexities of the diasporic experience. It features original field recordings from Tunisia and the Mediterranean shores, alongside interviews with local fishermen.

Dhia Douss  is a sound artist from Ksar Hellal, Tunisia, who blends contemporary music with his spiritual roots. His engineering studies sparked a passion for modular synthesizers, shaping his desired aesthetic for analog sound synthesis in an acoustic context. 

Qusay Awad is an independent architect and multidisciplinary artist based in Berlin. Using spatial design, sound, moving image, and performance, Awad's visionary work explores and connects ideas of historical rupture, memory, displacement, and community.