Selwa Abd is a moroccan-born artist, music composer and freelance designer / consultant based in New York City.
Her prolific and thought-provoking output challenges critical questions surrounding the future of technology, her own fragmented personal identity shaped by the complexities of post-colonial urban environments, and the influence of virtual realities on contemporary society.

Inspired by Deleuze's interpretation of Henri Bergson's philosophical framework, she embraces intuition as a legitimate method for investigating these complex issues in all her creative endeavors.

Selwa collaborated with a diverse array of cultural artists spanning the realms of both the art and music worlds. Her musical compositions were showcased in exhibitions of contemporary visual artists, she also remixed the works of musical artists, including Depeche Mode. 

She is a recipient of the SACEM grant (2020), Harvestworks Technology Immersion Program Grant & Fellowship (2022), the Issue Project Room Residency (2022) and The Jerome Hill Artist Alternate Award (2023).

Selwa has shown works at MOMA Ps1, Roulette, Moogfest , National Sawdust, Issue Project Room x The Center for Performance Research, Basilica Hudson, Fridman Gallery, The James Gallery, 47 Canal 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 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 resident since 2018.


Contact
Instagram
CV
Discography / Bandcamp








































As If Reality
"As If Reality?" is a series of works initiated by Selwa during her Artist-In-Residence Program at ISSUE Project Room in 2022. The project draws inspiration from David Chalmers' book, "Reality+: Virtual Worlds and the Problems of Philosophy," and follows a creative approach based on intuition and fragment-based systems. According to Chalmers, as the physical world deteriorates, virtual worlds will offer new landscapes and possibilities. 

However, Selwa wrestles with the repercussions of this growing reliance on virtual platforms for our planet. While she acknowledges the hopefulness in Chalmers' perspective, she is equally troubled by the ecological implications. This dichotomy, labeled as Opti-pessimism by Selwa and influenced by Bergsonian philosophy, drives her to confront audiences with conflicting realities, prompting them to contemplate the future of humanity amidst planetary decline.

Selwa's latest works aim to build sonic and visual worlds as simulations that extend creative research and speculations on the future. Her focus is on utilizing fragments and intuition conceptually to alter the scales of perception and better understand the sonic and visual mediums. These explorations of fragments exist within the tensions between the actual and virtual, which have become a hallmark of the "Bergsonist" project.






As If Reality Part I  | June 10, 11, 2022
Diptych composition comprising a 9-minute video art piece showcasing footage from Governors Island, along with 3D fragments created by Selwa. The accompanying sonic composition features sounds recorded on Governors Island. The other half of the diptych composition is a 23 minute live performance on Governors Island, using sounds from the environment to immerse the audience in a physical representation of "As If Reality".

Taking inspiration from musique concrete and electronic music, Bergsonist employs found sound as a sonic element, blending it with man-made FM sounds generated by machines.  This process was repeated in different environments to create a new body of work that simulates immersive experiences. The performance took place within Harvestworks Art and Technology Program Building 10a at Governors Island.
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As If Reality Part II | November 4, 2022
Multimedia audio-visual performance showcasing 3D & designed objects, video projections, and a sonic composition by Selwa Abd. Selwa developed the piece during her 2022 residency with the ISSUE Artist-In-Residence Program, in collaboration with Harvestworks and Center for Performance Research. This latest iteration builds upon previous presentations of As If Reality?, it features 360 footage and visual fragments captured during Abd's travels in Morocco in the summer of 2022.
Video production support: Greg Zifcak (Wavdwgs)
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Bergsonist
In 2014-2015, Selwa started her Bergsonist project. Bergsonist is known for her work in film scoring, commissions for contemporary artists, and dance music production. Notably, she has remixed tracks for iconic bands like Depeche Mode, showcasing her ability to blend innovation with established sounds. 
Her contributions to various creative spheres highlight her unique approach to music-making and her ability to captivate diverse audiences.

In her sound performances, she thoughtfully blends electronic manipulations with acoustic sounds, drawing inspiration from musique concrète and minimalism traditions.


Selected Press
MoMA Ps1 Warm Up Feature | Cultured Mag|  2023
NYC DJs Cover Story | Cult Classic | 2023
Best Music of 2022 | Art Forum | 2022
NYC Artists Breaking Barriers | GQ Middle East | 2022
Feature by Mark LeVine | Songlines | 2021
Bergsonist's techno diary | The Washington Post | 2020
Breaking Through Artist of 2020 | Resident Advisor 
Bergsonist's Bodiless Archive | Borshch Magazine | 2019
Elaborate Intuition | Bomb Magazine | 2018


Selected Commissions
Live Performance | National Sawdust | 2023
Live Performance | MOMA Ps1 Warm Up | 2023
Elaborate Intuition Mix | e-flux | 2023
Depeche Mode Remix | Columbia /Sony | 2023
Multi-media Live Performance | ISSUE Project Room 
Soundtrack Feature in Exhibition | Meriem Bennani
Soundtrack Feature in Exhibition | Asif Mian | 2022
Soundtrack Feature in Exhibition | Eva Davidova | 2022
Song Feature in Compilation | Tresor Records | 2021
Soundtrack Feature in Exhibition | Meriem Bennani
Music Compositiong for Film |Samy Sidali | 2020
Online Presentation A/V Piece | ISSUE Project Room
Soundtrack Feature | Meow Wolf | Janelle Langford
Songs Featured in Short Film | Boiler Room x Margot Bowman & Lynette Nylander | 2018


Awards
Artist Alternate Grant | Jerome Hill  | 2023
Scholarship Award | Harvestworks | 2022
Grant | SACEM x Mabel FIlms | 2020
Holly Herndon Nomination | Shure x Mixcloud | 2019
Bass Camp Participation |  RBMA | 2017


Spotify

Soundcloud

NTS Radio Shows

Bandcamp

Original music for the film "Jmar", Samy Sidali, 2020


Official remix for Depeche Mode, 2023


Soundtrack commissioned by Meriem Bennani for "Guided Tour Of A Spill", 2021


Multi-media performance in collaboration with Miho Hatori for Roulette, 2023


Music composition for ISSUE project room, video by Greg Zifcak, 2020


 Untitled, live performance commissioned by Julia Govor & Kamran Sadeghi for Fridman Gallery, 2022

Projects

Pick Up The Flow In 2017, Selwa founded Pick Up The Flow/PUTF, an online community and resource-sharing platform aiming to democratize access to opportunities. Opportunity listings are shared daily via the website and Instagram page (weekly via the newsletter). 

The platform was initially designed to facilitate connections among musicians and creative people in NYC by offering a space to sell gear, share knowledge, post apartment listings, and more.

Currently, PUTF exists as an Instagram feedwith over 37K+ followers, a website, a newsletter (average open rate: 69.4%), a private FB group (2.1K members) and an interview series / podcast.

Since its inception, PUTF has organized various events, including workshops, radio broadcasts, and swap meets, in response to the changing dynamics of the music, art, and culture industries. The platform seeks to pave new paths forward through collective models of trust, both online and offline. PUTF’s mission is to promote access to resources and combat the dominant greed in the art and technology industry.

Selwa has contributed and continues to contribute to the visual identity and branding, as well as the curatorial program of PUTF.

Selected Clients: Queens Council On The Arts, Times Square Arts, The Joyce Foundation, Pepsico, Printed Matter, Inc, e-flux, The Laundromat Project, Institute For Studies On Latin American Art, Staten Island Arts, Mexican Summer, Apexart, Alfred University, Woodward Residency, Abrons Arts Center, Fractured Atlas, Something Special Studios, MIT Lab Poetic Justice, The American Trust for The British Library, Jeff Koons, Ethan James Green, Foundwork, Center for Book Arts, Children’s Museum of the Arts, Lighthouse Works, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Issue Project Room, Studio Museum In Harlem, Storefront for Art and Architecture and more.
Pick Up The Flow’s official website 
Pick Up The Flow’s Substack
Creative Direction & Design, 2024
Creative Direction & Design, 2024
Creative Direction, Design & Curation, 2023
Creative Direction & Design, 2020
Creative Direction & Curation, 2019



Bizaarabazaar
In 2010, Selwa founded Bizaarbazaar, a not for profit and advertisement-free music platform that began as a blog, a sonic archive, and a hub for conceptual compilations
Her goal was to provide an alternative to the elitist music publications of the era and establish a platform for emerging and underrated musicians. The aim was to disrupt the established order and shape a fresh narrative. The project garnered momentum and earned acknowledgment from diverse music labels and cultural influencers within the industry.

Selwa contributed to the whole visual identity and curatorial program of the platform/label.

Bizaarbazaar's achievements have gained acknowledgment from various publications, including Wire , and its creations have found distribution through notable bookshops like Motto Books Berlin and Printed Matter NYC.


Creative Direction & Design, 2019
Creative Direction & Design, 2019
Creative Direction, 2017
Layout Design by Stephen Decker
Creative Direction & Design, 2017
Creative Direction & Design, 2017



Design

As a freelance designer, Selwa crafted compelling brand identities and graphic designs for diverse clients and her own projects. She produced social media assets and design systems to strengthen online presences, conceptualized and executed logo design and visual identity projects,  and orchestrated branding strategies, product design, and creative consultancy/creative direction.


Her personal  visual art practice is also documented on this  Instagram page.
Branding & Logo of PUTF, 2019
Branding & Logo of BB, 2017
Logo for Music Workers Alliance, 2020 
Artwork & Design Layout, 2020
Creative Direction & Design, 2020
Book Design, Parsons, 2016
3D Artwork, 2021
3D Artwork, 2023
Creative Direction & Artwork, 2018
Creative Direction & Design, 2023 
Creative Direction in collaboration with Benoit Canaud Studio, 2017
Creative Direction & Artwork, 2020
Artwork, Mixed-Media, 2023
Creative Direction for Scott Avery, 2021