Soul City Arts

Waswasa is an immersive experience that took place in August as part of the Birmingham Festival 2022 at the Birmingham Hippodrome. It explored the physical act of prayer through live performance, projected films, installation art and cinematic soundscapes.

Sharing and Reflection Event in Birmingham

The Sharing and Reflection Event explored some of the thinking behind the themes of Waswasa, as well as sharing some short videos from the show. 

Soul City Arts chose a Harlequin Hi-Shine silver vinyl floor for the event to highlight the luminous lights throughout the tunnel.

“We were seeking something outstanding when Waswasa: Whispers in Prayer was in the creative process. Specifically for the Prayer Tunnel, that is when we turned to Harlequin. To start with, Harlequin had to tell us that they were out of stock of the Harlequin Hi-Shine. Whilst seeking alternatives, I received a call from Myke from Harlequin, with the very welcome news that they received new stock! No hesitation in ordering and our vision became a reality.

Harlequin, for me, went above and beyond to assist, even approaching other clients on our behalf to see if there were any possibilities there. More than happy with what we purchased and how it works within our production.” – Rajpal Pardesi – Soul City Arts Executive Director

The Soul City Arts team and the artist, Mohammed Ali, aimed to demystify this familiar yet misunderstood tradition of Islamic prayer through an extraordinary multi-disciplinary show that challenged perceptions.