The Water Diviners is a project by artist Jumana Emil Abboud, who uses storytelling to explore our relation with water, heritage, imagination and the future. Jumana’s work began with research on wells and springs in Palestine fifteen years ago, which are sites with magical, spiritual, and folkloric significance. This project continues in the Palestinian tradition of collective storytelling.

First developed in the village of ‘Ein Qiniya in the Occupied West Bank in 2020, The Water Diviners has since taken shape through multiple iterations across different geographies. Each workshop contributes to a growing, transnational anthology of stories authored by participants from around the world. For its second UAE iteration, the programme brings together returning participants from the 2022–23 cohort at Art Jameel, alongside a small group of new participants invited to register here.

Through a series of sessions, participants will engage in tracing the presence of water within folklore and lived experience: in memory, fantasy, grief and hope. The group will bring together personal stories and endangered knowledge into collective, myth-made, water-worked tales of resilience and renewal.

The workshop will culminate in a collective performance presented as part of Jumana Emil Abboud’s exhibition ‘The Storyteller and the Obedient Tide’, curated by Indranjan Banerjee.

The dates, times and locations of the workshops are as follows:

Tuesday May 12 — Online (6–9pm)
Sunday May 24 — Online (6–9pm)
Thursday June 11 — Jameel Arts Centre (6–9pm)
Friday June 12 — Jameel Arts Centre (6–9pm)
Sunday June 14 (Rehearsal & Performance) — Jameel Arts Centre

Workshop details:

• No prior experience in art or storytelling required
  
• Participants must reside in the UAE
  
• The workshop encourages exchange across generations, regions and lived experiences,  participants should be open to collaborative and process-led work
• Session will be led in English but writings can be in a language of choice
  
• This is a full-programme commitment — participants are expected to attend all sessions
  
• The workshop is open to a small group of up to 5 participants (18+). If selected, you will be contacted with a confirmation and further details.