HiMY SYeD

“This project emphasizes once again on the power of calligraphy and its crucial role in Islamic art. I though the first project (ALLAH calligraphy) was not enough to explore the rich universe Islamic calligraphy has to offer.

“For this project, I mixed calligraphy with the lecture about Qur’an (by using Surat Al-Fatiha) and that about interpretations…

“In fact, for this project, I created a labyrinth out of the first Surah in the Qur’an (Surat Al-Fatiha) by using a very unique type of calligraphy.”

“The reason why I mention interpretation is that the way the Surah was represented is full of meanings. I believe the Qur’an is a very powerful work of art where the readers get lost, just like Alice did in the wonderland…

“In fact, this sheds the light on the importance of interpretations and ijtihad in Islam since once ayah in the Qur’an can have many meanings. Getting lost in the Labyrinth and finally seeing the light and finding the way out with a rational interpretation is what makes the Qur’an experience very unique for Muslims and non-Muslims.

“As a side note, I wanted the calligraphy style to be one where there is no obvious end in the words to represent some situations we can face nowadays, where some debates are endless and where you can see neither the end of the arguments nor that of the debate…

“I hope you enjoyed the labyrinth of Qur’an. Please read it. You might get lost. But hopefully, you will find yourself fast enough. That is all that matters.”

— Mohamed Mehdi Aourir, Harvard