Delve into the world of 'Waters' Witness' by artist and composer Tarek Atoui.

Waters' Witness: TareK Atoui. Decorative image.

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Welcome to 'Waters' 'Witness', an immersive sonic landscape based on the hidden sounds of port cities documented by the sound artist and composer Tarek Atoui.

Experience an archive of sounds captured from around the world as they are transmitted and transmuted through natural materials collected from each harbour site.

Delve into the world of Waters' Witness

$Close up of Sydney Harbour’s bright blue water. Light refractions visible on the surface.$

People swimming at Sydney Harbour with rocks, silos and shipping containers in the background.

Atoui on his fascination with harbours, history and sound

'I come from Beirut, which is a harbour city... I grew up there in the eighties during the time of the Civil War, and from my balcony I could see the harbour, but I could never access it... my fascination with harbours, their potency and potential, was already there.'

Birds resting on rocks in Sydney Harbour while waves break around them. A line of silos, cranes and shipping containers is visible the background.

Tarek Atoui,
'Waters’ Witness' field research, Sydney, 2023. Image courtesy and © the artist, photograph: Alexandre Guirkinger

Tombstones in a graveyard on the Sydney Harbour foreshore, harbour views and industry visible in the background.

Tarek Atoui,
'Waters’ Witness' recording sessions, Sydney, 2023, image courtesy and © the artist, photograph: Alexandre Guirkinger

Composer and artist Tarek Atoui on a Sydney Harbour beach holding a large piece of driftwood, whilst wearing headphones and sitting on a plastic chair. A QANTAS plane is mid-take-off in the background.

Tarek Atoui, 'Waters’ Witness' recording sessions, Sydney, 2023. Image courtesy and © the artist, photograph: Alexandre Guirkinger

Detail of sandstone along the Sydney Harbour foreshore.

'I have always been interested in capturing the sound of water... by listening to a harbour and what surrounds it, you [can] understand the place.'
– Tarek Atoui

Learn more about the exhibition

Supporting Exhibition Patrons

Chloe and Andrew Podgornik

The exhibition 'Waters' 'Witness' was conceived by Tarek Atoui and is organised by the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia. The exhibition was first produced by the Fridericianum, Kassel, in cooperation with the Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art, Porto, and Mudam Luxembourg - Musée d'Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean.

Supporting Exhibition Patrons Chloe and Andrew Podgornik

Images [1 & 3]: Tarek Atoui, 'Waters’ Witness' field research, Sydney, 2023. Image courtesy and © the artist, photograph: Alexandre Guirkinger; [4] Tarek Atoui, Waters’ Witness recording sessions, Sydney, 2023. Image courtesy and © the artist, photograph: Alexandre Guirkinger; [5] Tarek Atoui, 'Waters’ Witness' field research, Sydney, 2023. Image courtesy and © the artist, photograph: Alexandre Guirkinger / Video: Oliver Quirk