Bint Mbareh (b.1995) is a vocalist and musician who grew up in Palestine. Until her MA in Ethnomusicology at Goldsmiths, she was unaware of the Palestinian veneration of saints and worship systems destroyed by modern Salafism and theological and spiritual colonisation. His research on the history of water conservation in the region brought him back to the saint, who was sometimes (physically) nothing more than a rooted tree. The guardian's neighbours have always relied on them to heal the poor, bring rain, bring blessings to the land and the human body, and guide the ancestors to safer places. Bint Mbareh is exploring popular ways to reclaim the spiritual tradition of venerating the saints by listening deeply to the songs sung in their honour and re-composing them for 2022. She has a special interest in communal voices/height in struggles for sovereignty.
She has performed at the Exist Festival in Palestine, Darat al-Funun in Amman, Arab Women Artists Now in London, at the At Sawa Sawa platform for the Shubbak Festival, performed rain-calling rituals, and has been a resident and commissioned performer at Youth Music at Cafe Oto in London. He has performed at Mophradat's Read the Room Festival (Brussels) and BUDA Kortrijk's Next Festival. His articles have also been published in Hizir Zine.

All photographs: Courtesy of the artist

BINT MBAREH
PHILISTINE / UNITED KINGDOM

The road to a neighbour I haven't met yet, 2022.
Eat sound with a holographic fan, candle, and fabric.