Sound
Upcoming sound projects 2026
Underwater
Underwater is inspired by the Detroit techno duo Drexciya. In the Drexcyen mythology enslaved African women gave birth to children in the Atlantic Ocean who could breathe underwater, building their own innovative society under the sea.
Underwater builds upon this mythology, weaving in themes of West African water deities, gender expansive underwater life and commemoration of lives in the Mediterranean Sea.
A reflection on resilience, transition, memory and imagination beyond the known. The soundscapes blend electronic music with hydrophone recordings and whale calls on vinyl.
The piece was first performed at BAT Studiotheater Berlin on 31.10.2025 and in a shortened version at the afrofuturistic event Quantum Echoes at Studio1111 in Berlin on 06.11.2025.
The sound part of the project is evolving further in 2026 for example into a listening session format. The listening session took place on 6th March 2026 at Asa Baako Festival in Busua, Western Region, Ghana.
Abeni works in the field of acoustic ecology and plant frequencies and the way sound can reveal different aspects of the environment. For a longer-term soundscape project, that started in 2026 Abeni is working with Odo Valley an art residency space and experimental food forest in the Western Region of Ghana.
Acoustic ecology
The extraterrestrial origins of lake bosomtwe
This audio-visual work combines field recordings, environmental rhythms, and storytelling, accompanied mainly by footage of the lake. The piece traces the lake’s cosmic beginnings through a meteorite which formed an impact crater around 1,07 mio years ago and got filled with rainwater and groundwater to form the Lake Bosomtwe. An Ashanti oral tradition tells that on a sacred Akwasidae Sunday, the hunter Akora Bompe discovered the lake while chasing a wounded antelope into a small pond filled with fish. After he, his wife Sanyaa Doko, and the dog Daakye (Future) safely ate the fish and remained unharmed, the site became recognized as a life sustaining place in cultural memory.
Voices, water, wind, and wetland species calls create a soundscape shaped by natural rhythms. Through sound and image, the work connects cosmic history, ecology, nature conservation and cultural memory.
The recordings were taken in February 2026 during Abeni’s stay at pIAR artist residency Kumasi and the work will be shown at the open studio session on 28th February 2026.
Hydrophone recordings at Spree river with Laborneunzehn
Plant Frequencies at ZKU