UK Exhibitions
20 Nov - 29 Nov 2026
11 June – 11 July 2026
Peter Scott Gallery
20th Apr 2026 - 15th May 2026
Forge Island, Rotherham
14 and 15 Feb, 11am - 9pm
16 - 22 Feb, 10am - 4pm
23 - 27 Feb, 4 - 6pm
Mediums
200 Clay Borindos
Audio
LEDs
Electronics
Oscillators
Brass fixtures
Partners
British Council Pakistan
Karachi Bienalle
Borindos playing and lighting up inside the installation
Borindos playing and lighting up inside the installation
Microtonal is an installation comprised of 200 borindos (Boreendo, Bhorindo) - a clay wind instrument from the desert of Sindh, Pakistan and recently added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding list.
Each borindo in the installation has been created by Allah Jurio, the only remaining craftsman who knows how to make them. Faqir Zulfiquar is the only known artist to play the Borindo and as such is the only person standing between it and a form of cultural extinction.The borindo has 2000+ year history, made from the earth of Badin and named after an insect whose nest it resembles. It is emblematic of many discreet musical cultures in the region that are disappearing, as those who hold the knowledge of the practices are fewer in the face of growing globalization. Microtonal utilises innovative technologies to create an audio reactive, algorithmically driven installation. Each borindo is brought to life by a small speaker poised just above its opening, tuned to the resonant frequency of their corresponding instrument. The shape of each instrument naturally amplifies otherwise imperceptible sine waves creating a chorus of 200 instruments playing autonomously. Each individual borindo emits sound in response to what is audible in their immediate environment, including audiences in the installation and field recordings.
Winner of the Karachi Biennale Jury Prize for 2022.
Faqir Zulfiqar making holes in Borindos
Allah Jurio making Borindos on a traditional wheel
