Leila Hassan

Thursday, February 6th at 8pm, ISSUE invites audiences to the 22 Boerum Pl. theater to experience new projects by multidisciplinary artists Leila Hassan and Selwa Abd (Bergsonist).

In her American debut, Leila Hassan presented Sea Urchin at ISSUE in 2018. The “odd dub” collaborative project with Italian artist Francesco Cavaliere explored musical relations with objects, writings and textiles. After discovering the Sea Urchin project in 2019, Selwa Abd invited the artists to contribute to a compilation created for her platform, Bizaarbazaar. The compilation featured 40 tracks centered around the themes of “Sonic Fragment” and “Rhythmic Weaponry,” inspiring the start of their relationship. 

Hassan's newest installation, hydro phōnḗ, weaves together audiovisual elements and linguistic play, drawing from the ancient Greek words hydro (water) and phōnḗ (voice or sound). This fusion investigates the connection between language and water, inviting the listener to consider the meaning carried by water’s sound. In this work, Hassan amplifies the phōnḗ—the “voice” of water—through a speaker that echoes its resonance. Hassan channels this ancient ingenuity through handmade, round ceramic vases designed to embody the essence of water. These vases possess a sonic body, functioning like a fountain within a fountain, reaching depths that feel almost subterranean. hydro phōnḗ bridges ancient and modern techniques, analog and digital mediums, creating a space reminiscent of the hidden Riads Hassan has encountered in Morocco’s old towns—intimate, concealed, and resonant with timeless echoes.

Leila Hassan is a Berlin-based, Austrian-born visual artist and distinct speaking voice. She talks mainly through her textiles, light sculpture, and ceramic works, and gives voice and life to radio plays, poetry, and interpretation of other worlds. She is founder of the music & art project Sea Urchin with Francesco Cavaliere.