Selwa Abd is a multi-disciplinary artist, music composer & creative director/designer living in NYC (born and raised in Morocco).
She composes, produces and performs under the alias: Bergsonist.
In 2010, she founded the NY music platform / blog Bizaarbazaar and ran it for 11 years. She featured weekly premieres and mixes from worldwide musicians, programmed broadcasts, curated events and published various projects such as these music compilations. The platform was used as a tool to document music communities worldwide and to fight against elitism in the music industry.
In 2017, she started Pick Up The Flow, an online community & resource aiming to democratize access to opportunities. PUTF exists as an instagram opportunity feed, website, newsletter and private marketplace. Listings for opportunities (grants, residencies, jobs..) are shared daily via the website & instagram page.
She has performed at spaces such as Basilica Hudson, Parsons The New School For Design, Flux Factory, Issue Project Room, Spectacle Theater, Bar Laika (E-Flux), Fridman Gallery, 47 Canal, Brown University, Dartmouth College, Brooklyn College and Boston Museum Of Fine Arts to name a few. She has performed at festivals such as Moogfest, Sonic Acts, Basilica Hudson Drone Festival, Sustain-Release and By Larm Festival.
In 2018, she joined the Discwoman Roster and started hosting a monthly radio show on NTS Radio. In 2019, she started 3AFAK, a music project currently co-run with Sanna Almajedi. In 2020, she released her first album "Middle Ouest" on Optimo Music and got featured as "Breaking Through" artist on Resident Advisor. She also scored her first film "Jmar" by Samy Sidali. In 2021, she started hosting the "Flow" podcast and contributing bi-monthly to Hii Magazine's Earshot series. She also got featured in Tresor's 30th anniversary compilation featuring founders of house and techno music.
In 2022, she completed her UI Design Immersion course at Career Foundry. Portfolio.
She holds a BFA degree in Communication Design from Parsons School of Design | The New School (2016). Thesis.
Guest Speaker:
2020: Pratt Institute, New York City (Zoom)
Raphael Griswold's class
2020: MoMA PS1, New York City (Online)
Pick Up The Flow online panel
2019: The New School, New York City
Dafna Naphtali's class
2019: Moogfest, Durham NC
Panel about internalizing international identities in electronic music. Hosted by Emilie Friedlander at Moogfest
2019: Resident Advisor, Brooklyn
Panel about new media communities in NYC. Hosted by Working Women at Nowadays
watch full piece here
Residencies:
2022: Issue Project Room, New York City
Artist-In-Residence
2022: Harvestworks, New York City
Fellow, Technology Immersion Program
2018: Red Bull Music Academy, Tenessee
RBMA BassCamp Residency at Bonnaroo Festival
Awards:
2022: Scholarship Award from Harvestworks for | 2022 Technology Immersion Program
2020: Grant recipient "Aide A La Creation De Musique Originale" from SACEM to score award winning movie: "Jmar" by Samy Sidali
2019: Shure x Mixcloud nomination
Selected by Holly Herndon
Selected Press:
