Abbas Zahedi Builds Orphan Pipe Organ for Manifesta 16 in Duisburg Church

British-Iranian artist Abbas Zahedi (born 1984 in London) is constructing a unique organ for Manifesta 16 at the Kulturkirche Liebfrauen in Duisburg, collaborating with a German engineer. The organ features 'orphan pipes' from destroyed instruments, many sourced from Ukraine. Zahedi, who became an orphan as a child, describes his practice as 'dissociative realism,' drawing on psychological dissociation from post-traumatic states. The installation is designed as a communal space with the organ surrounding the audience, not placed frontally. Zahedi emphasizes collective grief, noting that European identity has unresolved losses, such as the decline of churches. The work avoids traditional venues like galleries or museums, instead occupying a church—a site he sees as spiritually resonant. Zahedi has a history of creating relational art, including 'support groups' at Tate Modern, and often incorporates specially mixed drinks, a practice stemming from his time working in a brewery. He has not yet decided whether the organ will be played.