Piraeus - Athens

Urok Shirhan (NL/Iraq), aka UROK, is an Athens-based artist, researcher and DJ working at the intersection of performance, visual arts and critical theory. UROK’s DJ sets unfold a polyglot club sound—where Arab, Latinx and Brazilian rhythms meet leftfield techno and deconstructed bass, blending sweet pop melodies with dark percussive drums. Throughout the Festival, during hours without live programming, the venue’s speakers will transmit the Radio Alhara broadcast. 

The installation investigates how rhythm and sonic texture can be diverted, slowed down, or distorted through frequencies and vibrations. Eight metallic column-speakers, arranged in a circle, create a field of intensity where the dancer’s body responds to the force of sound upon a minimal marble platform. The work forms part of Panos Charalambous’s ongoing research into the expressions of popular culture in the Balkans and the Mediterranean, re-examining their forms in the present and within the specific context of Piraeus.