Students from Dubai’s Centre for Musical Arts (CMA) premiered a special soundtrack for Expo 2020 Dubai’s Hammour House at Mission Possible – The Opportunity Pavilion on Saturday (26 February).
The soundtrack is inspired by the sounds of the Arabian Gulf sea, the chants of fishermen, and the journey of the hammour fish across the oceans, from coral reefs to the deep blue, and back again.
Combining Arab and Caribbean influences, as well as the sounds of the Australian didgeridoo – to celebrate the community who worked with artist Sue Ryan to create the hammour sculpture on display outside the pavilion – the musicians performed beautiful melodies for the audience.
Tala Badri, Founder and Executive Director of CMA, said: “The students were very excited to put together a piece of music that reflected the ocean environment of the UAE. We ran a workshop over the half-term break, and we had six students who volunteered to compose and produce the piece, working on it for a whole week with myself and my colleague, Simon Tompkins. The message is really there to highlight the importance of ocean sustainability and fish, and what happens in the waters of the Arabian Gulf.”
The students, whose ages range from 12-16 years, also played water-related popular musical pieces, including the soundtracks to such movies as Pirates of the Caribbean and TV show Hawaii Five-O.
One of the children, Ali, a 16-year-old percussion player, was very excited about the opportunity: “Music is always a good way to convey a message, because it is something we can all relate to quite easily. We all listen to music.”
The students from the CMA had visited Hammour House at Expo 2020 Dubai and were given an exclusive tour of the artwork, where they learned about the inspiration behind the project.
The group discovered the imminent threat coral reefs and other underwater creatures are facing, and were told how Expo 2020 Dubai has worked extensively over the past three years with schoolchildren, fishermen, artists, scientists and institutions to bring the project to life.
Through an exciting creative programme that includes daily knitting experiences and innovative workshops led by UAE-based artists and art teachers, Hammour House invites participants to examine the country’s colourful coral reefs and their inhabitants to highlight and explore the challenges these creatures face.