About The River & The Sea

'About the River & the Sea' is an immersive ritual installation by the Palestinian-Dutch Um Al Gaith Collective and World Opera Lab, in a special collaboration with the Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ. At its center is Um Al Gaith: a rain ritual that is still performed in Palestine during times of drought.

Old stories and new sounds merge in this interactive installation. The artists take the audience on a quest to uncover the historical sources of the ritual and explore the potential healing power of this type of collective experience. The journey leads through the 3,000-year-old stories of the goddess Anat, who braved the underworld to liberate the rain. The collective invites the audience to participate in newly composed percussion works, making the music and stories not only audible but also tangible.