NIUN

Synopsis

Made in collaboration with American artist Michael Mogensen, Alamoudi’s video NIUN (2018) is inspired by thirteenth-century Persian physician, geographer, and writer Zakariya al-Qazwini’s story, Awaj bin Anfaq, which considered one of the first works of science fiction, about an alien who visits Earth to study the oddities of human behavior. Alamoudi’s video follows two extra-terrestrial protagonists (NIUN 1 and NIUN 2) who claim the desert as their own and begin to lay down the foundation for a new civilization. Together, the pair devise seven essential components that will fortify a prosperous future: energy, water, mobility, biotechnology, entertainment, technology, and manufacturing. Together and in sync, the outlanders chant mantras—ardi (“my land”), noor (“light”), hajira (“traveller”), and hajirati (“my rock”)—that, in the artist’s view, reinforce the importance of language and open communication in cultivating the future.