02 June 2006

Word into Art

80 Arabic artists using calligraphy, an exhibition at the British Museum. Here are a few details.

This large, sumptuously cracked piece is based on the calligraphy practice sheets that get crowded and black with repeated letters --

The artist has turned the word Allah into geometric shapes. The two sides of the rectangle represent the letter alef (a), and below are the two lams (l) and ha (h) that make up the rest of the word. The lams and ha form the top and bottom borders --These ceramic cones have Sufi sayings and reference the pointed hats of the Dervishes --
And this piece uses stencil letter shapes (in English), which are sewn using a sewing machine onto canvas, and the ends of the threads are left as little bumps -- and the canvas is stretched and it's painted --Its companion piece has the ends of the thread hanging down and looks even more like its been dipped in tar. (Maybe it has?)

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