Manuscripts, traditionally, were texts written by hand, which means most everything before the development of printing. Texts made by hand, particularly in places like the Arabic world that valued the aesthetics of calligraphy, often contained diagrams, illustrations and decorative designs. Today, posters designed with artistic visions are like the manuscripts of the new generation. This is particularly apparent in the results of the “From Manuscripts to Contemporary Designs” challenge, a call for poster designs based on manuscripts of Islamic cultural heritage. It is part of the program relating to the exhibition the Art of Orientation. The forms, frames and geometries of centuries-old manuscripts inspired contemporary designers to create new posters. This challenge seeks to get back to the origin of Islamic arts, and it is in collaboration with the “Hundred Best Arabic Posters Competition” – a platform to document visual Arabic language through selecting and showcasing the best and latest posters designed in the Arab world.
The challenge has drawn 20 participants from seven different countries. The three winners presented diverse ideas and drawings and produced posters that were consistently excellent and meaningful. The posters relate stories and experiences of their designers through image, design and language. In this blog, we present the winning designs and the inspirations behind them.
In addition to the manuscripts, poetry was also an inspiration for the designers. Haya Al-Yahia, for example, selected a poem by Ahmad Shawqi – “the prince of poets” – called “The Ascetic Ant – Alnamlah Alzahida,” from a series titled “Stories – Hekayat.” Al-Yahia chose this poem because of her childhood memories associated with it, and wrote it in the margins of the poster. Her design was inspired by a manuscript featuring multiple texts written as separate masses, with no other design elements other than the text. This design presents poetry, story and memory – all at the same time.
Poetry is a deep spark for the poster designers and calligraphers of the new generation. Designer Arwa Al-Shimmari's winning submission was inspired by a poem by Mahmoud Darwish, “From the blue a sea began.” She illustrated the poem in the poster and selected calligraphy from two manuscripts, including the Holy Qur’an. Al-Shimmari replaced the words of the poem with drawings and colors because she felt the poem speaks about the imagination and the origin – precisely the ideas she believed were at the core of the challenge.
Celine Rafi, on the other hand, was inspired by a poem written by her mother describing the beauty of the stars in the sky. So, when the challenge came, Rafi chose a manuscript that reminded her of her mother’s poem and incorporated it into her poster. The poem describes the magnificence of the sky and the beauty of the shining stars which send rays so similar to rays of the sun. Rafi, as well, decorated the poem with drawings and colors reflective of the beauty so admired and honored by her mother.
These three designs came out of a four day course for designers called “The Challenge.” The first day featured an introduction to the Islamic and Arabic manuscripts so participants could discover the elements of manuscripts and develop their initial ideas. The second day was about visually presenting a poem or a story. The participants’ initial designs were displayed to the group and discussed in the light of the Arabic identity on the third day, and the challenge was concluded on the last day with the display of the designers’ final pieces.
By Noura Albarrak
