UAE | Education

Reviving age-old craftsmanship

Workshops rekindle student interest in traditional Islamic art

  • By Amelia Naidoo, Campus Notes Editor
  • Published: 00:00 November 29, 2009
  • Notes

  • Abu Dhabi Women's College students learn traditional painting techniques during a workshop sponsored by the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation.
  • Image Credit: Supplied

Abu Dhabi Women's College (ADWC) student Sara Al Hueeli looks at her prayer carpet a little differently these days after learning about the history it is steeped in.

Through workshops being held by the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation on traditional Islamic arts and crafts at ADWC, she and her classmates are learning about traditional Islamic design.

The workshops are organised in cooperation with the Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC) and the Prince's School of Traditional Arts (PSTA) in London.

Discovering their roots

"This is something that should be in our lives — we really feel that a lot of this art is lost," said Sara, a first year media major who has worked on traditionally decorating a prayer carpet. "I see myself doing more traditional artwork and I look forward to this combination of hands-on practice and theory."

Sara Al Alawi, also from ADWC, said the workshops helped her get in touch with her roots.

Investigating local designs

"What's happening is that the PSTA has a partnership with TDIC and we've been asked to look at traditional arts in the UAE and particularly Abu Dhabi," said PSTA project manager Lisa DeLong. A long-term goal is to set up a centre for traditional arts in Abu Dhabi with the TDIC.

"Abu Dhabi is a part of the world that's developing very quickly and when we were approached by TDIC and heard of Shaikh Zayed's vision to preserve heritage, it resonated with us," DeLong said.

Commenting on students' response to the workshops, she said they have started looking at patterns in their daily lives and homes differently.

Unique Workshops

The foundation has organised six workshops on traditional arts and crafts for universities, schools and women's groups in the emirate.

They are the first of their kind in Abu Dhabi and aim at renewing and revealing the richness and beauty of the country's traditions, passing them on to future generations.

The workshop programmes include ‘Introduction to Traditional Islamic Design', ‘Patterns from Abu Dhabi' and ‘Exploring Geometry and Biomorphic Design in Manuscript Illumination'.

Teachers from the Prince's School of Traditional Arts led participants through a design process in which they learned construction methods for geometric patterns and biomorphic motifs, both of which have traditionally governed all aspects of Islamic art. Students then created a group piece as well as individual designs.

After exploring the relationship between nature and Islamic art, students referred to Abu Dhabi's natural environment, creating a design for a large-scale illuminated page that unites their individual contributions.

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