Barren Spring
Installation, audio, frankincense-infused glass sculptures, dye sublimation on fabric
Commissioned by KBH.G
2023
This multimedia work investigates the folklore of Ain Adhari, a desolate natural spring in Bahrain, through the lens of mythology, eco-feminism, and oral histories. The spring has been dry since the 1980s but persists in collective memory. The installation centers on the Myth of the Maiden of Adhari, a cautionary tale about a young woman who encounters a stranger in a palm grove and weeps so intensely that her tears transform into an eternal spring. The three-part narrative features thirteen frankincense-filled glass sculptures arranged at varying heights to represent the maiden’s tears and to create a suspended, transcendental moment in time that foreshadows the alchemy of tears transforming into an oasis. Silk polyester fabric photographs complete the installation, guiding viewers through the space until they encounter a reimagined vision of the mythical site.