Selwa Abd, also known as Bergsonist, is a Moroccan-born, New York–based interdisciplinary artist, composer, and design researcher specializing in
time-based media.
Her multimedia practice reconfigures evolving archives of field recordings, live video, and electronic sounds into immersive, intuitive environments.
Drawing on acousmatic music (musique concrète), sound art, and experimental traditions, she transforms and abstracts these materials using granular synthesis, spectral processing, and real-time electronic techniques, blurring the origins of sound while creating dynamic dialogues between sonic and visual fragments.
Informed by Deleuze’s interpretation of Bergson, Abd uses intuition to explore complex questions of post-colonial identity, techno-futurism and the psychological effects of virtuality on contemporary societiy.
Her performances blur the line between reality and virtuality, envisioning speculative futures while confronting the tensions of the present.
Selwa has collaborated with a wide range of cultural artists across the art and music worlds.
Her compositions have been featured in contemporary art exhibitions, and she has remixed works by musical artists, including Depeche Mode.
She has curated musical and non-musical events for projects such as Bizaarbazaar, Pick Up the Flow, and 3afak, as well as for compilations she has released. Her curatorial work is an ongoing and integral part of her practice, often operating quietly in the background.
She is a recipient of the NYSCA x Roulette Artist Grant (2025), NYFA x Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment’s Women Fund Grant (2024), The Jerome Hill Artist Alternate Award (2023), the Issue Project Room Residency (2022) and Harvestworks Technology Immersion Program Grant & Fellowship (2022).
Selwa has shown works at MOMA Ps1, Roulette, Moogfest , National Sawdust, EKKO Festival, Mutek Festival, Sonic Arts Festival, Issue Project Room x The Center for Performance Research, Basilica Hudson, Fridman Gallery, The James Gallery, 47 Canal, Batalha Centro De Cinema and The Brooklyn Film Festival to name a few.
Selwa has earned recognition from outlets including The Washington Post, BOMB Magazine, GQ Middle East Magazine, Resident Advisor, Mixmag Mena, NPR and Artforum.
Her music has been released on labels such as Optimo Music and Tresor Records.
Selwa is the founder of the community resource Pick Up The Flow and the publishing imprint BIZAARBAZAAR.
She's been a NTS Radio DJ resident since 2018