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5 years ago I found footage of my dad and his twin brother on their first ever trip to Egypt. They had gone there in search of their father who hadn’t seen them since they were 18 months old. Enchanted by the scenes I saw, never having been to Egypt myself, I was inspired to compose something for these images.

From the video, I’ve taken sound bites of their conversations with each other and their father, telling a story of uncertainty, reckoning and reconciliation of understanding ones heritage and how it informs who we are. I drew inspiration from other musicians in my family, including my Great, Great Uncle Halim, a composer and my Great Grandmother Esther, who led the first Arabic singing choir in her family church in Cairo. I also took influence from the sounds and sights I experienced when I went to Egypt for the first time 4 years ago.

The title of the piece comes from the feeling of grasping at the threads that are left of your ancestry, having little knowledge and connection to those who came before you, and from this trying to weave together, possibly even fabricate a narrative around ones personal history.

New Creatives is supported by Arts Council England and ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Arts.

Grace Acladna – Creator
Words from Damian Mckeown, Luke McKeown & Fatthi El Dabh
Nikta Mohammadi – Producer
Turkish Decipher – Mix & Master

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