Design & Research About
Where Stones Speak
About.
This project was done as part of our curriculum at NID to do an in depth study of a craft and understand its origin, history and relevance in the present age. I chose Islamic Calligraphy as my focus of research because it is a major form of artistic expression in Islamic cultures and has been deeply influential on the cultural history of medieval India.
The development of Islamic Calligraphy is strongly tied to the Qur'an. It was introduced in India around the 13th century and has evolved into three distinctive styles - Lahori, Dilli and Lucknowi.
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Role. I chose to study the Lucknowi style because of its beautiful forms and strong presence in the daily life in Lucknow. As part of my research I visited and documented all the mosques and monuments, and interviewed and shadowed two master calligraphers. It helped build context in understanding the effects technological advances have had on the art and the artisans.
Discipline Contextual Research, Publication and Book Design, Photography, Illustrations, Book Binding, Screen Printing
I experimented with using frosted butter paper as the section covers, to serve as a slow reveal for the islamic geometry in the following page- an unveiling of sorts.
The cover was screen printed with UV ink to make the artistry feel 3D and tactile, much like islamic geometry in many of the architectural sites I visited. I bound and stitched two copies of this publication as a way to learn a new technique-coptic binding, within Print technologies.
Worked under Tarun Deep Girdher
Year 2015
© Zunaira Naqvi 2022