What I Heard In The Valley

As part of the Islamic Arts Biennale Closing Symposium, artist Bilal Allaf presents a live 24-hour durational performance of "What I Heard in the Valley", staged beside his video installation currently on view in the Islamic Garden. The work explores themes of faith, endurance, and spiritual pursuit, drawing inspiration from the Islamic ritual of Sa’i and the story of Hajar.

For this special presentation, the LED wall, typically displaying the recorded version of the work will be transformed into a live stream of the performance, captured through a close-up camera lens. This shift from documentation to real-time presence invites the audience into a more intimate and immediate encounter with the artist’s gestures of walking, kneeling, resting, and praying.

Language: English

What will you learn?
Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the spiritual dimensions embedded in Islamic ritual, and how contemporary performance can embody concepts such as Ihsan, Tawakkul, and resilience.

Who is it for?
This is for artists and anyone drawn to conceptual and performance art.