House of Hope Archives

The House of Hope Archives will be a presentation, discussion and Q&A by exhibiting artist Sara Rahman and Lydia Ourahmane.

The House of Hope Archives comprises of photographic materials of Sara and Lydia’s family and their community in Algeria. Within the buildings in the images, an active spiritual movement and community was founded but none would assume that beyond those four walls was a civil war taking place across Algeria (1991-2002).

These materials, which have remained within their immediate family, are a testament to a community that grew behind closed doors, and for a period of time, in secret, in basements and various dwellings. Their parents and other members of the Christian community documented meticulously during this time and the archives serve as a historical document of a counter-cultural movement at the intersection of belief, association, assembly and recognition.

Today, this minority group are subject to prosecution and persecution by the Algerian government in what has been called a “systematic campaign” targeting the closure of churches, houses, spaces for gathering alongside imprisonment and court cases accusing Algerian Christians of proselytising and engaging in religious ritual.

As siblings with 6 years between them, Sara and Lydia will revisit this crucial period of childhood and the beginning of an underground religious counter-cultural movement in which these materials were produced. They will begin with a presentation followed by a discussion exploring the personal and oral histories of the community they grew up in as well as the present day realities on the ground.

echoes in my memory, you will hear them is a series of interventions that will allow space for exhibiting artists and other invited practitioners to activate the library and exhibition format of don't worry i won't forget you, which is open till 10th August at Forma.

Sara Rahman

Sara is a British-Algerian interdisciplinary composer, musician and researcher. Embarking from a classical contemporary background and experimental electronic music, Sara aims to interrogate the gaps in sonic anthropology, research and performance as a point of departure in her practice. She has been commissioned by Delfina Foundation, Sculpture International Rotterdam, the BBC and Sound and Music, and her compositions have been performed by Bratislava Symphony Orchestra at Slovak Radio Station. She has performed live at IKLECTIK, FOC, MACBA and Casa Montjuic, and released on the music label, 3024.

sararahman.co.uk | @cldhoney

Lydia Ourahmane

Lydia's research-driven practice spans spirituality, contemporary geopolitics, migration, and the complex histories of colonialism. She incorporates video, sound, performance, sculpture, and installation on an often large or monumental scale that has consequences beyond the walls of her exhibitions. Drawing on personal and collective narratives and experiences, Ourahmane challenges broader institutional structures, and the ways these forces are registered. Her recent solo exhibitions include: 108 Days, MACBA, Barcelona (2024), Tassili, SculptureCenter, NY (2022) and rhizome, Algiers (2023), Survival in the afterlife, Portikus; Frankfurt and De Appel, Amsterdam (2021); Barzakh, Kunsthalle Basel, Triangle – Astérides, Marseille, S.M.A.K. Ghent (2021); Solar Cry, CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts, San Francisco (2020); and The you in us, Chisenhale Gallery, London (2018), among others. Her work was included in 60th La Biennale di Venezia (2024), 34th Bienal de São Paulo (2021) and the New Museum Triennial (2018).

lydiaourahmane.com | @emogirl4

‘don’t worry i won’t forget you’ presented by WANAWAL

An interactive library, exhibition, and public programme curated by Êvar Hussayni and Sarah Hamed.

Reimagining how archives are built, activated and used, don’t worry i won’t forget you presents the WANAWAL alongside new and existing contemporary artworks by seven practitioners: Ayreen Anastas & Rene Gabri, Xece “Khadija Baker”, Meriem Bennani, Shamiran Istifan, Olivia Melkonian, and Sara Rahman.
This iteration shares the entire WANAWAL archive of books, tapes, magazines, research, and various ephemera, to be read, studied and listened to. Founded by Hussayni in 2019, the WANAWAL set out to challenge colonial methodologies of archiving, creating a publicly accessible library that innovatively catalogues and preserves the creative contributions of WANA practitioners.
At FormaHQ, Hussayni and Hamed create an intimate and welcoming ecosystem that encourages visitors to engage directly with the material. By rejecting traditional and hierarchical approaches to making spaces, this alternative environment explores how experimental archival methods can facilitate inclusive, generative experiences.

don’t worry i won’t forget you would not have been possible without the support of an Arts Council England National Lottery Grant, the Swiss Cultral Fund and Forma.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Forma Arts and Media, 140 Great Dover Street, London, United Kingdom