Shore Guides

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This work was commissioned for the exhibition titled Selective Memory: Archiving Khor Al Beida by Artist-Researcher Noora Jabir, curated by Michael Leo. Selective Memory asks the question; who produces the UAE’s heritage?

By examining placemaking in Umm Al Quwain by situating knowledge of the region in the context of the people and institutions that construct heritage. The exhibition positions Khor Al Beida, the lagoon at the heart of the emirate, as the central subject of the region, both as an agent and object of study. By exploring official archives of sites in and around the lagoon, ranging from oil company surveys to archaeological field reports, the echibition reframes whose expertise is recognised and how histories are assembled in place. Parallel to this, Selective Memory proposes an alternate archive: one that foregrounds actors and forces often excluded from official records. These include migrant communities, endangered birds, and diverse plant ecologies that have established their homes around the lagoon. By tracing the ways they claim, shape, and map places of importance in Umm Al Quwain, the exhibition reveals the structures of power embedded in documentation practices and reflects on their consequences for heritage production and preservation.

This soundscape, titled Shore Guides pays homage to the (often ignored) tour guides that define the aural identity of Khor al Beida. It is a designed sonic representation of a day on the site from sunrise to sunset. Drawing from the field of soundscape ecology, this piece examines the acoustic relationships between biophonic geophonic and anthropophonic sounds around the lagoon. All sonic material was recorded on Siniya Island at various locations, featuring the flourishing natural sounds of the birds and insects in contrast to the harsh sounds of human activity such as construction and excavation.

PRESENTATIONS 

This project was presented in an exhibition format supported by the NYUAD Art Gallery team in The Cube (2025).

FIELDWORK