Something like home by Nemat Battah

In this autoethnographic arts-based research, I return to the gift of music in my life and use it as the ultimate form of expression. I explore the process of navigating my own transgenerational trauma through composing and working with musicians from different musical and cultural backgrounds. Something like home explores the effect of finding common ground of love and compassion between my family members, especially those who have been navigating the traumas of war. I collected stories, memories, and impressions from my family’s childhood, and composed music that is inspired by them. In the first sections I discuss some concepts related to the transmittion of war trauma , and Bowen’s family system theory. Moreover, I relate to reasearches and projects that have been concerned with trauma art therapy and dealing with cultural trauma through music. As well as showing examples of composers who have been working with similar processes. In this project, I unfold my compositional process, and I present some possibilities of dealing with harmonizing traditional Arabic music, using partials from the harmonic series. I also share my process of collaborating with a lyric writer and a videographer who have helped me to bring the stories to life. Throughout the process I discovered that engaging with the stories unlocked new artistic outcomes and some unexpected artistic practices, expressions and results. Another important outcome of this project was the need for coming up with approaches that were used for transcultural music making and engaging the musicians with the stories but making sure to leave space for their own artistic identities to come across and shine. In the near future, I am hoping to use this project as a basis of my doctoral research project which will focus on memory expression through music by working with the diverse citizines of the finnish community.

4.8a Dive, a sketch of the compositional process.

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Audio and video material of chapter 5

5.1 Forest mind (solo in the woods) - Shafeeq Alsadi

5.5 A prayer to Randa-higher pitch part

4.1 Something like home – Unknown Laughter. Caisa cultural centre, November 2021

4.3a Emran Battah, diary entry; 2003/2004, P1

3.1 An example from Egypt: أبويا وصاني ׀ أبناء الإسماعيلية

Abuuya Wassani by Abna’a al Ismailiyya.

Audio and video material of chapter 3

Audio and video material of chapter 4

4.5 From Ain Karem to Amman, Last scene, Audio, (From Caisa cultural center concert, Nov 2021)

5.6a A prayer to Randa, filming- frame painting

4.4a From Ain Karem to Amman-First sketch, P1

5.2 Layth Sidiq-Maqam Rast using the thumb

4.8b An audio excerpt from Dive

4.6 From Ain Karem to Amman, Last scene, Video, “Something Like Home” concert, Caisa cultural centre, November 2021.

4.3b Emran Battah, diary entry; 2003/2004, P2

Kantele has a very similar sound to an Arabic folk instrument called “Simsimeyya”, which is used mostly in folk music in coastal cities and looks very similar to Lyre.

4.4b From Ain Karem to Amman-First sketch, P2

5.6b A prayer to Randa - Laura and Anni

5.3 Naser Shamma using only left hand on the fingerboard of the Oud

5.4 Distorted memories | wooden shoes scene.

3.2 An example from Jordan: عقباوي يا خال | فرقة عشاق السمسمية بقيادة سفيان جابر

A’gbawi ya Khal by Ushaq al simsimiyya band led by Sufian Jaber.

4.2 Conversation with Emran Battah. January 2019

4.9 A photo of my mother’s handwriting, taken in January 2019-Amman/Jordan.

4.3c Emran Battah, diary entry; 2003/2004, P3

4.7 Conversation with Shadi Battah, narrating his story.

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