This book focuses on the music of the pearl fishermen of the Persian Gulf and aims to honor the memory of the divers, their culture and their music.
The pearls of the Gulf have stoked the imagination and desire of people around the world for centuries, their magnificence matched only by the courage of the divers who found them.
The book, in Arabic and English, includes essays, archive and contemporary photographs as well as commissions from regional experts and artists, questioning this century-old culture from original point of views, contextualizing the tremendously rich theme that is pearling and its music.

This project by FLEE aims to honor the memory of the valiant free-divers, their culture and their music; it was published parallel to a double LP compilation with original recordings of pearl divers combined with inspired modern-day compositions by artists like Tomaga, YPY, Ben Betrand, Tarek Yamani, and Hieroglyphic Being.

About FLEE

FLEE is an independent publishing house dedicated to the documentation and artistic reinterpretation of hybrid cultural phenomena. It was founded by Olivier Duport, Alan Marzo and Carl Åhnebrink. They also produce records and curate art events.
Parallel to the book a music compilation was released, which can still be bought here.

Contributors

Toufic Kerbage, Marc Hobbs, Charles Stang, Talal Mattar, Abdulla al Suwaidi, Major Ali (Ali Saqar Al Suweidi), Paul Mattar, Abou Saleh, Noura Al Sayeh Holtrop, Hasan Hujairi, Talin Hazbar, Monira Al-Qadiri, Alan Marzo, Olivier Duport.

Paperback, 240 pages, illustrations, published in 2021.