MAHUA (2019) is a world building project. In a way it is a kind of artificial sonder that was created for myself. The largest part of my research was dedicated to developing the two languages Tanse and Matáséwa, two ways of communication that have their own connotations within the world of Mahua. Tanse, being a language that was brought to an isolated county, was something only religious figures and nobility could learn and Matáséwa, antithetically, was a language associated with the rest of the community. I have spent many hours researching clothing,food,and ritual, but the languages always came to the forefront. As a mode of communication I found it greatly interesting that people other than myself would not be able to understand them, whether spoken or written down. Then I sought to create a bridge between that disparity, to bring the audience closer to understanding both languages. This did not only mean a direct translation of written text, but also a displaying of the spiritual and intricate aesthetic behind my constructed languages. Additionally the audio is a spoken form of each language, it is a way to further access the languages. When they are spoken it helps to deepen the connection to the origins of the entire project.

Contact: olaide.omidiora@outlook.com