Bahara (Men of the sea)

For Bahara (Men of the sea) (2019), Alamoudi stages a soundscape in which the reverberations of the sea are merged with a modernized version of the song of “El Yamal,” a folkloric anthem sung by Saudi pearl divers and sailors, known in Arabic as Bahara , to give them strength in their seafaring endeavors. A slideshow of static imagery — fragmented body parts in the desert, an orange backdrop, and a digitally-rendered silicone vessel — provide the mise-en-scène for this video, creating an atmosphere of relative calm in stark contrast with the arduous task of fishing and pearl diving . For the artist, this work honors the traditions of these seamen, especially the pearl divers, whose now defunct trade was in its heyday a crucial part of the economy of the eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula.