Unpublished works/works in progress

Here Are Girls (work in progress)
Here are girls is a creative collaboration between Mahsa Salali (British-Iran), Roxanna
Albayati (Iranian-Iraqi-British), and Lumanzin (Syrian-Brazilian), three artists that found a
connection through the similarities and differences between their musical and ethnic
backgrounds.

The concept of Here are girls, has developed over years of our individual creative practices
as females in the art industry. Given that all 3 artists belong to different diasporas, the
struggle of belonging and expressing one’s personal voice as an outsider has materialized
heavily in this project.

The project is a physical and musical exploration of the expectations and constraints which
weigh on women through traditional and modern-day struggles. Specifically ideas around
how female bodies are presented, the notion of modesty, and the physical as well as the
mental impact it has on women. The combination of nudity and headscarfs juxtaposes the
idea of what modesty means for us.
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Similarly, the music is heavily influenced by these concepts - the merging and breaking down
of Iranian dastgāh with free improvisation and live electronics, mirrors the physical
explorations. We explored these concepts through different musical ideas: combining
contemporary and traditional classical music practice, free improvisation with piano and
cello, body percussion, live electronic as well as pre-recorded sound-art. This exploration
developed over many days of improvising, performing, and recording together.

Roxanna Albayati - cello, voice, movement, video editing
Mahsa Salali - piano, movement
Lumanzin - live electronics, movement, sound editing