During these months they produced Sham (“Damascus” in Aramaic), an eight-track album drawing inspiration from his personal story. As-suwaida is dedicated to Alaa's native town and its mountains abounding with apple trees; Bab Toum, the beating heart of old Damascus, evokes the scent of its jasmine blossoms; Oriental mosaic sings the praises of the old-time Syrian music; Time of Change celebrates the courage of the Syrian people; Alpha is a homage to the Arsheed family's art gallery, which was destroyed during the war; Waves seeks to ensure that we do not forget the dramatic exodus of the Syrian people; and Palmyra honours the ancient city destroyed by Isis. The concluding track is Hope, looking forward to the day when Syria can finally enjoy freedom and peace.

“Alpha was a centre for art and a café, created by the Arsheed family in 2006 in As-suwaida, Syria”, explains Alaa Arsheed. “We hosted some 65 exhibitions and organized 60 cultural events focusing on music, storytelling, philosophy, poetry and documentaries, often the work of young artists.

Our motto was ‘art is for everyone’. (…) In 2011 the war broke out, and I escaped to Lebanon, where I tried to carry on my studies at the conservatoire. Five months later, I received some terrible news: some groups that fight against art and freedom had attacked and destroyed Alpha. They had also arrested my father.

I had to abandon my plans in Lebanon and return to Syria to secure my father’s freedom. For our own safety, we did not re-open Alpha. In actual fact, we could not have done so anyway, for financial reasons. So my brother and I went back to Lebanon to look for work: that was a really tough time. I played in a lot of bands, events and concerts to make ends meet. I taught violin to children in the refugee camps, and created a street band in Beirut, in the hopes that sooner or later the world might once more be united, and the divisions might disappear”.

Alpha is also the name of the video clip produced by Christian Coppe, motion graphic designer at Fabrica, to present the album. “Speaking with Alaa Arsheed”, he recalls, “I found out about the Alpha art gallery, a place of culture and socialisation created by his family, and destroyed by the Syrian regime. I saw a lot of parallels with what is happening in the Middle East, and with the destruction by the Islamic State militia of historic sites, such as the city of Palmyra, or the Catholic monastery at Mar Elian, both in Syria, and the Nineveh Museum in Mosul, Iraq. In the video I wanted to show how culture and art are being crushed and eradicated right now, and the madness of razing to the ground not only the present, but also the very essence of these countries.” The clips were later edited using After Effects and deliberately “dirtied”. Between one demolition and the next, we see Alaa with his violin, a symbol of hope for a future free from war and violence.

The work of art featured on the cover of Sham is Portrait of Abou al Baraar, ISIS fighter by Fares Cachoux, a Franco-Syrian artist born in Homs, Syria, who is deeply committed to the Syrian cause, and in his works he portrays the mysterious and disquieting figures of ISIS fighters. Portrait of Abou al Baraar, ISIS fighter is part of the “Imago Mundi” collection dedicated to Syria, a global contemporary art project promoted by Luciano Benetton.