Sound of Disaster
Artist Name : Mohamad Hafiz Yahaya
Title if Artwork : Sound of Disaster
Medium: Video (mp4)
Sound: Stereo
Duration Time: 05:15
Year : 2022
War is about attacking and defending oneself, their family, the community, and its residential areas. Several factors, including colonialism, coups, civil wars, and the economy, can spark war. War has a devastating effect on all parties involved, whether they are opposing or defending. Furthermore, when there is a war, the local community will be affected as well. War is physically and emotionally devastating. Injuries, sexual violence, starvation, disease, disability, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) such as depression and anxiety are among the negative effects of war. The violence and fear that spread during the war disrupted lives and harmed family relationships, as well as causing emotional stress in individuals and communities. When confronted with a threat or resistance, an individual may succumb to pressure or attempt to overcome an existing problem by developing resilience in accordance with the circumstances. Psychological resilience is a common adult response to traumatic events, and it is typically influenced by demographic and social factors that occur during and after the event.
I was born and raised in Malaysia. According to my country's history, the ancients fought for national independence. There are no longer any wars in my country. Information about my country's wars can be found in history books written by the ancients for the purpose of recording. The ancients have provided a glimpse of my country's wars through history books and storytelling. When asked about war, I have no experience because I have never been in one. Through the stories of the elders, the war is indeed something that is painful and needs to be avoided from happening again. This is indeed a painful experience that the elders wanted to forget. Now with the existence of the internet that transcends the boundaries of human relations, a lot of information can be obtained. War in turbulent countries can be identified quickly. Previously, mass media such as newspapers and television provided information. However. with the advent of the internet, information about unrest and information about war can be known quickly only through mobile devices alone.
Although news of the war has spread via social media and the internet, we as outsiders (those who are not involved in the conflict) can only see video recordings and hear the voices of those who have lived through it. Current situation reports on conflicts and wars can also be viewed and heard on the internet. However, the experiences of individuals who have survived war are more real and vivid than those who have not. Moments of war and conflict provide the individual involved with a real experience of seeing corpses, blood, property destruction, injuries, and so on. People who haven't lived through it can't understand what it's like.
This work, 'Sound of Disaster,' is inspired by the concept of a 'black box' in a plane, which serves as a device to record the plane's journey from departure. In the event of an untoward incident, such as a plane crash, investigators and security will look for a black box and play a black box recording to determine what happened. This is a video art piece with no visuals or images displayed. The glitch effect is only visible on a black background in the display. This work also makes use of the situation's sound. During the war, there was the sound of people shouting, gunfire, soldier vehicles, and bombs. When the war is presented through sound, this piece enables the audience to listen and feel the environment. Using video and sound, I strive to inspire the audience to imagine about the battle situation. The element of sound is very important in this artwork as it is able to visualize images in peoples’ minds.
The title of this piece is Sound of Disaster. This piece is a video and sound installation that is projected on the wall with the help of a projector and speakers. The video will be saved as an mp4 file on a USB drive. This video lasts for 5 minutes and 15 seconds. The size of the projector's beam capacity will determine how large this work will be displayed on the gallery wall. If the event organisers do not offer projectors and speakers, it will be rented for the purpose of the exhibition. This piece was created in 2021 and has never been exhibited in any art gallery, local or abroad. The estimated price of this work is USD 1,923.02.
Big Five
Artist Name : Mohamad Hafiz Yahaya
Artwork Title: Big Five
Medium: Installation (Transparent fabric with an image printed on it, a video played on tv monitor and sound played on speaker)
Size: 3m x 3m x 3m (Dimension Variable)
Year : 2022
Artist Statements.
The Big Five artwork is an installation artwork. This work is planned to be installed in the center of the gallery space. The space chosen is the one in the middle of the gallery because it can provide the audience with the opportunity to see this work clearly. The artwork's dimension is variable. This work can change according to the exhibition space. Here I propose setting the dimensions for this artwork at 3 m x 3 m x 3 m. This size is the minimum guideline given for installation in the gallery.
This artwork uses transparent fabric printed with a silhouette image and a speaker (the sound of people performing the solah) as a medium. This medium is chosen based on the ideas and expressions to be conveyed. The audience can see the objects on display, which include a transparent fabric hung at the center of the gallery space, a video playing on a TV monitor, and the sound of people praying.
The transparent fabric measures 3 feet by 7 feet. This transparent fabric will be hung from the ceiling of the gallery. The fabrics will be hung in a row. There are 5 rows of fabric from front to back. Each row has five pieces of fabric. The fabric arrangement is also random. On top of the fabric, the shape of a praying figure will be printed. The image of this figure is a black silhouette. There are several movements in prayer, such as takbir, bowing (rukuk), prostrating (sujud) and sitting in prayer (tahiyyat). The requirement for hanging the fabric is a string tied to the ceiling of the gallery. Lighting is arranged from top to bottom to create a dramatic effect.
A video collage will play on the TV monitor. The video will add visual impact to the work. Some information will also be inserted in the video. To play the video, the necessary requirements are a TV monitor, an extension plug socket, and a pedestal to place the TV monitor on. The height of the pedestal is 3 feet. The duration of the video is 1 minute, and it will be played repeatedly.
Sound will be played through the speaker which will be placed in the center of the fabric hanger on the gallery floor. The speaker will play a sound of people pray such as takbir. The sound will be played moderately so as not to disturb the other works on display. The audience also need to be close to the artwork to hear the sound from the speakers. The requirement for the speaker is an extension plug socket to play the sound from the speaker.
This work is based on the five daily prayer activities performed by Muslims. As a Muslim, I feel the need to raise the act of prayer as a subject in my work. The purpose is to share information about the five daily prayers performed by Muslims as well as the benefits to individuals and society. Prayer is a pillar of religion. It is the second pillar of Islam after saying the two words "shahadah." The first practise that will be counted on the Day of Resurrection is a person's prayer. If one's obligatory prayer is not implemented perfectly, then other practises are no longer useful. The duty of prayer is a command of Allah S.W.T. to His servants with sufficient conditions. It can have a positive effect on life if executed perfectly. Performing the prayer perfectly can protect oneself from doing vile and evil things as the word says by Allah S.W.T, which means "truly prayer prevents from abominable and evil deeds" (Quran; Surah al-Ankabut verse 45).
A perfect prayer reflects a person's noble personality. This is because the performance of prayer is a combination of a person's speech, behavior and clothing. The appearance of noble morals can be embodied through prayer. When we understand the essence of the established prayer, it can educate Muslim personalities with honorable speech, behavior and usage that starts from intention to greeting. Prayer recitations that are read solemnly and perfectly can educate us to speak and communicate well when outside of prayer. While perfect movement in prayer can educate a person to maintain behavior outside of prayer, the same is true when the perfect application of prayer can train a person to take care of appearance for Muslimins (men) and Muslimahs (women) when in the community. This can simultaneously protect the dignity and honor of an individual.
The benefits of prayer attracted the interest of a group of Universiti Malaya (UM) researchers after they accepted a challenge from Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi when he was prime minister of Malaysia. The outburst arises because there is still no comprehensive study of prayer from a scientific perspective. A prayer study was conducted by the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University Malaya (UM), led by Prof. Associate Dr. Fatimah Ibrahim, Prof. Dr. Wan Abu Bakar Wan Abas, and Ng Siew Cheok, with funding from the Prime Minister's Department (JPM).
According to Dr. Fatimah, the research currently being carried out is still at a basic level and aims to study the effects of things like body composition and cholesterol content in the body. The heart and cardiovascular system, brain waves when praying, the strength of the muscles of the human body, back pain for adults, as well as men's health and inner energy. The study said Dr. Fatimah showed prayers five times a day and night in addition to worship reduced body fat. Dr. Fatimah said that prayer movements that involve standing upright, bowing, sitting, and prostrating in order and repetition can be likened to light exercise.
The idea to produce this work is related to the health of the mind. Prayer is used as the basis of ideas to convey the importance of spiritual health. And it is also able to provide benefits to the human body. A demonstration of the thought process and/or critical thinking in creation. This work, titled "Big Five," is an expression of my daily practice, and I tried to express it in a work of art. My expression is personal, which I want to share with the audience. This artwork can also be interpreted as a reminder for myself and others to do God's command and be the best person possible. The term "Big Five" refers to the five times a day that a Muslim prays. This act is something that must be done because it is the command of Allah s.w.t. It is up to the individual whether to do it or not because the prophet Muhammad preached many reminders about the order to perform prayer and warnings about leaving prayer. In addition, it has been certified that prayer can have a positive effect on our lives and on our bodies. The title 'Big Five' was chosen because prayer is something big in the life of a Muslim. The "Big Five" are five personality traits that exist in humans. It is an element that explains the nature of an individual through psychological science. Modern personality psychologists believe that there are five basic dimensions of personality, commonly referred to as the "Big 5" personality traits. Extraversion (also spelled extroversion), agreeableness, openness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism are the five main personality traits. Hopefully the title "Big Five" can express the idea of the artwork.
The selection of materials used also helps to show the idea of this work clearly. The use of transparent fabric arranged in stacks and hung to show the meaning of the prayer is very profound. The audience can see the cloth in front and, at the same time, can also see the fabric behind. In the hadith and the Qur'an, there are also many explanations about prayer. Interpretations from the Quran and hadith are also layered. Only people who are good at interpreting it can convey the meaning accurately. But for ordinary people like me, it is sufficient to simply follow the teachings of the prophet Muhammad and religious teachers and pray in accordance with what they teach. The surface of the fabric will be printed with the shape of a human figure in a praying position. This position includes takbir, bowing, prostration, and sitting tahiyyat. The image will be printed in black, and the shape of the figure will only take the shape of the silhouette. People can also walk through the hanging fabric.
The sound that is played on the speaker is the sound of a voice when someone is praying, such as the voice of a person saying "Takbir" or "Allahu Akbar." In addition, the speaker will also play the call to prayer. This sound will be played until it ends and will be repeated. Sound elements can give additional effect to this work. In order to maintain the sensitivity of the gallery's atmosphere and not disturb the audience or other works, the sound will be installed moderately so as not to be too loud. TV monitors and collage video projections will also add visual impact to this work. The duration of the video is 1 minute and will be played repeatedly. Position the TV monitor on the pedestal and in front of the hanging fabric. Finally, the effect of lighting is also important for a work of art. The spotlight will be directed from top to bottom on the fabric.