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 DJ resident since 2018.
Contact
Instagram
CV
Discography / Bandcamp
"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 Henri Bergson’s 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. Link
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)
Link
As If Reality | Album | May 25th, 2024
This album was supported by a grant from the Jerome Foundation and builds on the works Selwa created during her Artist-In-Residence Program at ISSUE Project Room x Harvestworks in 2022.
Listen to the album here
Design by Gina Lee
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.
In her sound performances, she thoughtfully blends electronic manipulations with acoustic sounds, drawing inspiration from musique concrète and minimalism traditions.
Selected Press
The GQ Sound Survey | GQ Middle East | 2024
Freedom and resilience theme... | Mixmag | 2024
MoMA Ps1 Warm Up | Cultured Mag| 2023
NYC DJs Cover Story | Cult Classic | 2023
Best Music of 2022 | Art Forum | 2022
NYC Artists Breaking Barriers | GQ ME | 2022
Feature by Mark LeVine | Songlines | 2021
Bergsonist's diary | The Washington Post | 2020
Breaking Through | Resident Advisor | 2020
Bergsonist's Archive | Borshch Magazine | 2019
Elaborate Intuition | Bomb Magazine | 2018
Selected Commissions
Live Performance | Printed Matter NYABF | 2024
Live Performance | National Sawdust | 2024
Live Performance | MOMA Ps1 Warm Up | 2023
Elaborate Intuition Mix | e-flux | 2023
Depeche Mode Remix | Columbia /Sony | 2023
Multi-media Performance | ISSUE Project Room| 2022
Soundtrack Feature in Exhibition | Meriem Bennani | 2022
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 | 2021
Music Compositiong for Film |Samy Sidali | 2020
Online Presentation A/V Piece | ISSUE Project Room|2020
Soundtrack Feature | Meow Wolf | Janelle Langford|2019
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 Selects | Shure x Mixcloud | 2019
Bass Camp Participation | RBMA | 2017
Guest Artist / Teaching Opportunties
Emily Evans’s Class | Cal Arts | 2024
Raphael Griswold’s Class | Pratt Institute | 2020
Dafna Naphtali’s Class | New School | 2019
Talks
“DIY Promotion/Design with GENG PTP”, Nowadays, 2023
“Electronic’s Infinite Past, Present, Future”| Catalog |2023
“New Media Communities In NYC”| Resident Advisor | 2019
Panel led by Emilie Friedlander | Moogfest | 2018
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 39K+ followers, a website, a newsletter (average open rate: 69.4%), a private FB group (2.1K members) and an interview series.
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
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.
T-shirt compilation for BB, 2019Double cassette + Zine compilation for BB, 2017Zine compilation for BB, Layout Design by Stephen Decker, 2017Bizaarbazaar’s old blog/ platform hosted on Wordpress, 2012-2017Double cassette + Zine compilation for BB, 2017
Design
As a freelance designer, Selwa crafted compelling brand identities, artworks 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 Design of PUTF, 2019Branding & Logo Design of BB, 2017Logo Design for Music Workers Alliance, 2020 Logo for the music collective 3afak, 2019 Book Design (Thesis), Parsons, 2016Creative Direction & Design, 2023 Book Design, Parsons, 2016Creative Direction in collaboration with Benoit Canaud Studio, 2017Artwork, 2018Creative Direction, 2021