Art, Creativity & Culture

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  • Art of Faith: Islam

    Looking back over the last 3000 years, the series provides an insight into how we have celebrated art through faith. With contributions from architects, scholars and worshippers, the films explain the buildings' genesis, laying down the brush strokes of the sites' design, whilst looking at the sh...

  • Islamic Art at the V&A

    London’s V&A has one of the world’s finest collections of Islamic art from the Middle East. Among its 10,000 objects are the Ardabil Carpet made in 16th-century Iran, one of the largest and finest carpets in existence, and an exquisite rock crystal ewer from 11th-century Egypt. From the summer of...

  • The Calligrapher

    In studio with world famous Calligrapher Mohamed Zakariya, who shares personal and touching insights into his work.

  • Numina at the Barbican

    Zarah Hussain’s sculptural installation Numina was commissioned by the Barbican and installed in the Centre's foyers from 1 October 2016 - 25 January 2017.

    Blurring the boundaries between science and spirituality, Islamic geometry is traditionally drawn by hand with a ruler and pen, using mathe...

  • The Art of Seeing with Peter Sanders

    The Art of Seeing with Peter Sanders programs are designed to teach and instill the ability to tell a story through pictures. The best way to learn is from people who have mastered their craft. We want to create such an environment in different places in the world where everyone, from the beginne...

  • Khayaal Theatre Company: Theatre Without Walls

    We bring together artists and audiences of different faiths and secular affiliations to harness and mobilise the inclusive energy of shared story in order to connect hearts and foster greater intercultural and interfaith dialogue, understanding and engagement between Muslim communities and the wi...

  • The Architecture of Mud

    The Hadhramaut, south east of Yemen, is well known for its mud brick architecture. Throughout the centuries, the population has developed very sophisticated building techniques and created a unique architectural environment. Spectacular structures such as ten-story mud brick tower houses rise up ...

  • From the Hand of Man

    A visually lyrical short documentary which explores the latest artistic project by traditional Indian craftsmen directed by Mitchell Abdul Karim Crites. The film captures the process of inlaying Arabic carving from lapis then highlighting it with gold-leaf, which when assembled together create in...

  • A Beginner's Guide to Andalusi Calligraphy

    This is the story of a calligraphic script that is almost extinct, yet which was once a crucial part of the most extraordinary cultural flourishing of the Middle Ages. We trace its journey from its origins in Madinah to its pinnacle in Al-Andalus, where we look at the rich context it evolved in. ...

  • Darat al-Funun, The House of Art

    A film about Darat al Funun, the Arab art hub in Amman, Jordan - narrated by the founder, Suha Shoman, and artists she has championed.

    Darat al Funun, Khalid Shoman Foundation, is a jewel in the Arab world. Overlooking the old city of Amman, Jordan, and built around the site of a Byzantine chur...

  • Sinan, A Divine Architect

    The 16th century architect Sinan is a Turkish cultural hero from the Ottoman era, but he is also the foremost architect in Islamic history.

  • Curves of Iran

    To the people asking: "Why do you want to go to Iran?", show them this video! The narration explains the whole thing: "Curves are everywhere in Eastern culture: our writing, our architecture, our instruments, the way we dance; even the tone of our language is curved. The West was built on angles....

  • Hassan Massoudi: Calligrapher

    Interview with Hassan Massoudi, a renowned Iraqi calligrapher. He talks about his art, his experience of graffiti and artistic inspiration.

  • Fashionably Modest

    Nushmia Khan, a documentary film-maker, follows three Muslim women involved in the fashion industry: Dina Torkia, a YouTube star; Sadeel Allam, a successful blogger; and Maryam Basir, a bikini model. The result is a fascinating film, full of thoughtful opinions about faith, style, and the ways th...

  • Ghali, Patterns of Persia

    In the east northern part of Iran ina village named Dovidokh, all the women earn a living and support their families by knotting and weaving traditional Turkmen carpets with beautiful and colorful patterns.

  • Monir

    The life and work of Iranian artist Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, who first garnered attention in the 1970s when she pioneered forms of geometric mirror works and created an artistic language informed by traditional Iranian craft and architecture. (Persian and English with subtitles)

  • Fashioning Faith

    When most Americans think of the Islamic veil, the image of Afghan women in blue burkas or the black chador of the Islamic Republic of Iran may come to mind. But what about the Muslim-American woman who combines her headscarf with jeans or haute couture gowns? Fashioning Faith takes a behind the ...

  • Insha e Noor: Threads of Empowerment

    This short film on the paper-cutting craft of Saanjhi and how it is transforming the lives of women from Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti. The women cut patterns of jaalis, motifs, and patterns from the Mughal-era monuments situated in Nizamuddin, and create products like lamps, screens, tea-lights, bookm...

  • The Gold Finial of Humayun's Tomb

    The story of the creation of the Humayun's Tomb gold finial, which had a team of architects, engineers, scientists and traditional craftsmen - carpenters, copper-smiths, gilders - working towards this mammoth restoration effort for two years.

  • The Guy with the Mask

    Is it art or a stylish way to ask for charity? ls it a temporary or seasonal occupation or a real job? Is it simply clichéd or challenging and creative? The living statue catches the attention of passer-bys with its autonomous imaginative powerful presence in the heart of the larger cities.

  • Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti: A Cultural Revival

    Since 2007, the Aga Khan Development Network led Nizamuddin Urban Renewal Initiative has been undertaking various initiatives to revitalise the historical city centre of the Hazrat Nizamuddin Area. This film showcases how the renewal initiative harnessed the cultural assets of Nizamuddin Basti to...

  • The Making of the Jameel Gallery

    London’s V&A has one of the world’s finest collections of Islamic art. This film follows the creation and achievement of the Jameel Gallery of Islamic Art at the V&A. Beginning with the removal of the Ardabil Carpet from the old gallery display, and then travelling through to the USA, Iran and Ja...