Nahma A Gulf Polyphony

Maritime chants passed down through generations form the basis for this multivocal study of Arabian Gulf heritage

Taking its title from the vocal calls traditionally sung by sailors and pearl divers to mark time at sea, Nahma approaches the Arabian Gulf not as a fixed geography, but as a resonant space shaped by circulation, exchange and polyphony. Bringing together artists, researchers and writers, the publication enmeshes historical narratives and modern practice through the common thread of maritime chants. Meanwhile, the 2xLP vinyl unfolds as an immersive sound experience, where traditional songs intersect with newly commissioned works by contemporary artists. Part written record, part sonic archive, Nahma invites readers to consider sound as a method of knowledge, revealing a constellation of perspectives―a woven net of commerce and ritual, modernity and inheritance, erasure and persistence.