Waters’ Witness was a sound-based installation by artist and composer Tarek Atoui, presented in the Arab region for the first time. The exhibition explored how water shapes urban life through recordings from international port cities—including Athens, Abu Dhabi, Beirut, Istanbul, Porto, Singapore, and Sydney—captured underwater and along coastal infrastructures.
Through sculptural elements made of marble, metal, ceramics, and stone, Atoui transformed sound into a spatial experience, inviting visitors to listen to the social, historical, and ecological realities of harbours. Mathaf’s presentation introduced a new chapter of the project that focussed on Qatar’s coastline and communities, reflecting the museum’s evolving engagement with contemporary sound practices.
