Joe Namy's Cosmic Breath Adhan Installation at Ibraaz

Joe Namy's sound installation, titled 'Cosmic Breath,' showcases over a century's worth of adhan (Islamic call to prayer) recordings, starting with the earliest known one from the Haram Mosque in Makkah in the late 1800s. This piece is displayed at Ibraaz's Musalla in London, a venue dedicated to spiritual practices. Horn speakers, reminiscent of those found on minarets, broadcast various adhan recordings at once, with the volume intensifying during prayer times to envelop the space. Among the contemporary calls are those from Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and Singapore's Sultan Mosque, which pioneered loudspeakers in the 1930s. The installation also features recordings from Khartoum, Tbilisi, Durban, and more. Initially commissioned for the 2023 Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah by Sumayya Vally, the London version includes the first public adhan by the Waltham Forest Islamic Association during the 2020 COVID lockdown, exploring themes of sound systems, community, and spirituality through diverse acoustic traditions.