Baab 02 is a mixed reality (MR) installation by artist Mohamed Chamas that acts as a speculative, ceremonial altar for glimpsing the barzakh.

The Islamic barzakh—meaning ‘veil’ or ‘barrier’—conceals humans from the celestial planes. The barzakh does not act as a wall, but rather an imaginal, intermediary space of abstract proportions. One attends the barzakh when the soul departs the body, encountered in moments such as dreaming, and passing into the afterlife, where the soul awaits its final judgement. Throughout this veiled space roam the djinn—or ‘genies’—known as ephemeral, intermediary beings who shape spiritual, social and ancestral understandings among Folk Islamic groups. The ‘dijital djinn’ within this installation become informants beyond barriers both physical and psychical, tapping in to the world of spirits.

Through Baab 02, visitors may access a moment of spiritual awareness and encounter the divine presence known as Irfan—literally translating to ‘knowledge, awareness, and wisdom’. The effects of Irfan swirl through the installation’s sculptural offerings in both geomantic and geometric harmony, creating an illuminated passage within the open air of virtual reality. Baab 02 forges connectivity beyond the veil through sensual transience, digital pilgrimage and embodied play, inviting visitors to encounter a multi-sensory, indivisible experience.

Mohamed Chamas is an artist, game developer and poet based in Naarm/Melbourne who channels the ‘dijital djinni’—a rewired/rewiring agent for practice-based research. Mohamed’s work calls upon Sufi magick and mysticisms of the ancient past to create fusion and synergy with emerging technologies. Mohamed’s VR works exist as unsurveilled sites of healing for orientalised bodies.