Art In Motion
Husain Museum
Art In Motion is an immersive installation that traces the life of Indian artist M. F. Husain across decades, starting in India and guiding viewers through his journey to Qatar, and the influences that shaped his unique modernist style. It's one of the centrepiece experiences at Lawh Wa Qalam, a museum in Education City on the outskirts of Doha, Qatar, dedicated to Husain's life and work. Commissioned by the Qatar Foundation and inaugurated on November 28, 2025, the museum spans more than 3,000 square meters and houses over 150 works, including a series of immersive installations that bring the artist's world to life.
Taking inspiration from the life and times of MF Husain we incorporated a plethora of regional instrumentation, calls to prayer and animal vocalisations. These elements were weaved into several distinct scenes, embracing both chaos and calm in an effort to illustrate the highs and lows of the artists journey. The installation venue employed an immersive 5.1 surround system which allowed us to fully envelop the visitors in the experience and take advantage of the cinematic low frequency channel.
The soundtrack moves as one continuous arc that shifts in step with Husain's life, undulating from quiet to intense and back again. An austere opening is adorned with only the simple sounds of weaving, setting a handmade, tactile tone. Tabla and percussive rhythms reflect the galloping horses that recur throughout Husain's work, and as the horses multiply on screen, the percussion builds with them, layering in breathing, hooves, and saddle sounds to match the rising energy.
That energy escalates into a party scene, where Indian instrumentation builds into a chaotic, hedonistic crescendo with clear Bollywood influence, reaching the highest point of intensity in the experience. The respite of a calm desert scene marks the journey to Qatar, sparse and distant, with wind, creaking trees, birds, and camels standing in for melody. As the scene shifts into Doha, the soundscape becomes more environmental, layering in the call to prayer, light traffic, and everyday town bustle, while the music loiters in the background.
The final sections ease into a calm night scene with light bell tones, crickets, and wind, followed by an abstract, chromatic passage paired with light swooshes. We return to near silence, closing in a quiet art studio with brush strokes and a ticking clock, before looping back to the beginning to play on continuous repeat.
Mixed in full surround, the soundtrack functions as a single emotional journey rather than a set of isolated scenes, immersing the audience in life of MF Husain.
