Arts In Isolation Series - Asia House

Join Juan De Lara as he takes us on a tour through the colourful history of Arabia's Qaryat al Faw; a fascinating gem in the desert rich with treasure-laden tombs, frescoes of Egyptian goddesses, statues of Greek demigods, and marvellous inscriptions. Listen in as Juan discusses the wonders of the Incense Routes, the brilliance of the famed Nabataeans, and the importance of this site for understanding - and appreciating - the dawn of Islamic art.

Join Rizwan Iqbal as he explores how to get young people excited about Islamic art. Listen as he details the problems faced, solutions he has discovered, and the exciting work he has done as part of our Hands On Islamic Art project, which connects the wider UK to Islamic art collections, with funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Join Annabel Gallop as she takes us to the Indonesian province of Aceh, where she introduces us to the Ninefold Seal, and through it, takes us on a tour through Mughal power, Chinese trade, European conquest, and the wonderful artistic expression of the people of Sumatra.

Join Laura Hinrichsen as she walks us through her fascinating new research, reconstructing the great libraries of 16th century Tunis, once thought completely lost, by hunting down fragments scattered across the world. Listen as she explores the great conquest that destroyed these libraries, the sort of things you could read there, and the clever ways we might go about finding the contents of lost historic libraries.

Join Rachel Dedman as she explores the beauty and politics of Palestinian textiles. Listen as she discusses her work on the current Material Power exhibition in the UK, whose public programme was part of our Hands On Islamic Art project which works to engage the UK public with Islamic art.

Join Leena Ghannam as she walks us through an often unfamiliar aspect of Gaza: its art, architecture, and monuments. Listen in as she takes us through mermaid monuments and golden markets, from temples of Aphrodite to masterpieces of modern art, exploring from the conquests of Alexander until the recent annihilation of many of these precious sites. Hear a side of Gaza we don't often hear: creation, beyond destruction.

Join Konstantinos Politis as he digs through the long history of the Greek city of Chalkida, from its war-altering strategic importance to its lush date farms. Listen as he discusses his work, as a grantee of The Barakat Trust, exploring the town's Ottoman Heritage, discovering several mosques, and navigating the complexities of Greek identity and how it can incorporate the history of post-Classical Greece.

Join Nour Hage as she weaves a story of textiles in West Asia, from bridal practices, to talismanic symbols, to Nour's own work as an artist. Listen as she discusses her work on Leighton House's recent Kheit exhibition, as part of our Hands On Islamic Art project which works to engage the UK public with Islamic art.

Join Nawal Nasrallah for a delectable dive into the world of Medieval North African cooking. Learn the connection between ostrich eggs and eggplants, how we have been stuffing birds wrong this whole time, and the brilliant historical stories behind these recipes. Listen as Nawal discusses her work translating centuries-old cookbooks to access an art of history that is so often forgotten. This podcast will leave you hungry: for knowledge and for food.

Join Abdul Rahman Azzam for a discussion of espionage and honour, history and technology, as he explores the life and legacy of one of history's greatest leaders: Saladin. Listen now to learn where the man meets the myth, why he has endured so strongly in the popular consciousness, the extent to which he impacted the lives of those often thought unconnected to him, and how Abdul Rahman Azzam is using digital technology and machine learning to map Saladin's network of contacts.

Join Farrokh Derakhshani for an inside look into the 2022 Aga Khan Award for Architecture, one of the most prestigious architectural awards in the world. Find out how one is awarded this notable prize, hear about the latest winners, and learn how the creation of the award changed the understanding of architecture forever.

Join celebrated artist Ahmad Angawi as he explores how Jeddah has been influenced by many cultures, from Morocco to Indonesia, and how Jeddah has influenced them back. Learn about the cultural exchanges that pilgrimages brought, explore the traditional woodworking that Ahmad is helping to keep alive, and discover how traditional crafts can cooperate with this rapid technological world not only to survive in it, but to improve it.

Join Ulrike Al-Khamis for an inside look at the Aga Khan Museum's latest exhibition in Toronto, Canada. IMAGE? The Power of the Visual explores image-making over the centuries, exploring through the lens of Islamic art from across many periods and cultures. We are surrounded, in fact inundated, by images and we often have little time to contemplate their deeper meaning; IMAGE? aims to open the visitor's eyes to the power of images that surround us every day, be they in museums and galleries, on our smartphones or in the mass media.

Join Anna Leone for a tour through time as she explores life in North Africa from the Roman era to today. Find out how (olive) oil has been driving the world economy since antiquity, how you can tell a lot about a time period by its frying pans, and how superstitions about their brothers defined how Amazigh women weave their textiles.

How did the discovery of oil transform Saudi Arabia's cities and its architecture? How can art and architecture come together to capture the spirit of modernism in a nation known more for tradition?  Join this conversation with Abdulrahman and Turki Gazzaz, two architect brothers, to discover how their curiosity to understand their home city of Jeddah led to the rise of "Saudi Modern," a project to discover, record, and capture the spirit of modernist architecture and urbanism across the country. 

Join Wael Sabry on his quest to save the ancient craft of Kundekari - complex wooden geometry. Sabry is  tracking down the few remaining master carpenters in Turkey and Egypt, trying to learn their carefully-guarded  secrets, hidden even from father to son.  Discover how he is using technology to save this remarkable craft from disappearance and inventing  new machinery that might give this craft a new life.  

Join Arthur Bijl, Hutton McRoberts Assistant Curator of Ottoman, Middle Eastern and Asian Arms and Armour at The Wallace Collection for a fascinating conversation about the social history of arms and armour. Discover how what we think of as 'weapons' today were once also fashion statements, works of art, and status symbols in the pre-modern age. 

Join Kareem Ibrahim, an architect and CEO of Takween Integrated Community Development, as he reveals  an Egyptian hidden gem,  the ancient city of Esna, and an innovative project to introduce sustainable tourism through community "site-doing"rather than site-seeing!

Join Glaire Anderson for a fascinating conversation about one of great inventors of Andalusia: Abbas Ibn Firnas, who successfully invented a glider plane in the 9th century, and undertook the first known flight when in his 60s!  Find out about this fascinating man, his many inventions, and the relationship between science and religion in Muslim Spain. 

Join Matt Saba for a fascinating conversation about the magnificent palaces built by the Abbasid Caliphs of Iraq.  This dynasty realised that kingdoms invariably rose and fell, and that the longest lasting legacy of the reign would be literature.This podcast is part of Converging Paths, an initiative organised by Asia House and the Barakat Trust exploring the arts and cultures of the Islamic World. Converging Paths is generously supported by the Altajir Trust and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture's Education Programme.

May Al-Ibrashy, conservation architect and founder of Megawra Built Environment Collective and al-Athar Lina (Heritage is Ours!), talks to us about the projects she is leading to preserve historic Cairo, putting the community first. May discusses the recently completed Imam Shafii Conservation Project - one of the most magnificent buildings of historic Cairo, and the opportunities and challenges of the growing interest in reviving the historic city.  This podcast is part of Converging Paths, an initiative organised by Asia House in partnership with the Barakat Trust exploring the arts and cultures of the Islamic World.

The Making of a Master Calligrapher - Bilal Badat and Seif El RashidiJoin Bilal Badat, master calligrapher and scholar for a conversation about the meaning of Islamic calligraphy. Badat explains calligraphy not just as a craft but as a means of transmitting and glorifying sacred knowledge.  He shares fascinating on the making of calligraphers  - the way in which the  long training process is as much about spiritual and character development as it is about the production of great art.  This podcast is part of Converging Paths, an initiative organised by Asia House in partnership with the Barakat Trust that promotes the arts and cultures of the Islamic World.

Alain George shares his most recent book research on the Mosque of Damascus, an incredible building in Syria that is a living testament to better our understanding of community relations between Pagans, Christians and Muslims during the formative years of Islam.This podcast is part of Converging Paths, an initiative organised by Asia House in partnership with the Barakat Trust that promotes the arts and cultures of the Islamic World.

Tim Stanley, co-curator of the blockbuster exhibition 'Epic Iran' at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, shares with us the challenges of putting together such ambitious exhibition, and the rewarding effect it has caused around the public. The show is the major survey on Iranian art history since 1931, and is pioneer by the inclusion of art from pre-history to modern times, evidencing the long continuum of artistic production that the nation has experienced.

Featuring in our new Young Perspectives series, Doğukan Atmaca explores the emergence of coffeehouses in Istanbul, and the way in which coffeehouse culture spread like wildfire despite accusations that cafes were the source of political unrest and seduction.This podcast is part of Converging Paths, an initiative organised by Asia House in partnership with the Barakat Trust that promotes the arts and cultures of the Islamic World.

Join photographer and writer Christopher Wilton-Steer on a colourful journey of five months through the many Silk Roads to discover the cultures, peoples, traditions, flavours and beliefs he encountered on this magnificent odyssey.This podcast is part of Converging Paths, an initiative organised by Asia House in partnership with the Barakat Trust that promotes the arts and cultures of the Islamic World.

Mysa Kafil-Hussain explores the changes that Iraqi art went through to form a unifying identity across the nation by revitalising aspects of ancient folklore and traditional art. This podcast is part of Converging Paths, an initiative organised by Asia House in partnership with the Barakat Trust that promotes the arts and cultures of the Islamic World.

Professor Robert Hoyland takes us on a journey through time to discover the many faces that inhabited the ancient Arabian Peninsula, evidencing a much more multi-cultural and cosmopolitan world than what it is often assumed.This podcast is part of Converging Paths, an initiative organised by Asia House in partnership with the Barakat Trust that promotes the arts and cultures of the Islamic World.

Tharik Hussain, Journalist and travel writer speaks to us about his projects to discover and tell the stories of Muslim Europe, include trails he worked on reveal and share the stories of Muslim Britain, and his upcoming book, "Minarets in the Mountains," the outcome of his journey in search of Muslim Europe, following in the footsteps of a 17th century Turkish Ottoman traveler, Evliya Celebi. This podcast is part of Converging Paths, an initiative organised by Asia House in partnership with the Barakat Trust that promotes the arts and cultures of the Islamic World.

Wendy Shaw, professor of Islamic Art History at the Free University of Berlin, reflects on the importance of 'Art History' as a discipline to engage with the different narratives that conform our history and a subject that provides the means by which we can gain a different perspective by assuming a different way of being in the world. This podcast is part of Converging Paths, an initiative organised by Asia House in partnership with the Barakat Trust that promotes the arts and cultures of the Islamic World.

Artist, educator and activist Bahia Shehab discusses the role of artists during times of political change, and reflects on what it meant to take part in the Arab Spring. Shehab discusses her newly-published book ‘You Can Crush The Flowers: A Memoir of the Egyptian Revolution,’ and her work to help develop a new generation of creative minds through arts education.

Ratish Nanda, CEO of Aga Khan Trust for Culture India, tells us about his work at the organisation and how they worked on the transformation of neighborhoods and communities based on their needs. Nanda along his team has been able to revive and reinvigorate public spaces in India, creating new places for recreation, in particular gardens--giving people a new perspective on their environment.This podcast is part of Asia House Arts in Isolation Series and Converging Paths, an initiative organised in partnership with the Barakat Trust that promotes the arts and cultures of the Islamic World.

Episode 7. Contextualising the Occult - Liana Saif and Juan de LaraLiana Saif explores how divination, talismans, amulets and ritual have helped people address social anxieties and cultural challenges throughout history.This podcast is part of Asia House Arts in Isolation Series and Converging Paths, an initiative organised in partnership with the Barakat Trust that promotes the arts and cultures of the Islamic World.

Professor of Arabian and Middle Eastern Archaeology at UCL, Robert Carter, tells us about the importance of pearl trade in the Gulf and India, and with over 7,000 years of history defining and shaping the global economy. This podcast is part of Asia House Arts in Isolation Series and Converging Paths, an initiative organised in partnership with the Barakat Trust that promotes the arts and cultures of the Islamic World.

Jaimee Comstock-Skipp, PhD candidate affiliated with Leiden University, takes us on a magic journey to learn more about the mythical spine of Iran: Firdausī’s Shāhnāma epic.This podcast is part of Asia House Arts in Isolation Series and Converging Paths, an initiative organised in partnership with the Barakat Trust that promotes the arts and cultures of the Islamic World.

George Manginis, Academic Director at the Benaki Museum in Athens, sheds light on the importance of the Monastery of St. Catherine in Mount Sinai, Egypt—the bridge between Asia and Africa. George will reveal, how unlike popular belief, the monastery has been an important place of pilgrimage for three Abrahamic religions alike: Christendom, Islam and JudaismThis podcast is part of Asia House Arts in Isolation Series and Converging Paths, an initiative organised in partnership with the Barakat Trust that promotes the arts and cultures of the Islamic World.

Nancy Um, professor of Art History at Binghamton University, takes us on a journey to discover the stories and myths associated to one of the largest commodities of modern world, coffee. This podcast is part of Asia House Arts in Isolation Series and Converging Paths, an initiative organised in partnership with the Barakat Trust that promotes the arts and cultures of the Islamic World.

Salma Tuqan, Deputy Director of Delfina Foundation and former Contemporary Middle East Curator at the V&A, gives us a better insight of the thriving and resilient cultural scene experienced in the Levant countries of the Mediterranean, in particular Lebanon, Palestine and Jordan. Through her sounded expertise, Salma explains the several ways in which the region has faced the challenge of crisis, from war to more current issues like the explosion of the harbour of Beirut.This podcast is part of Asia House Arts in Isolation Series and Converging Paths, an initiative organised in partnership with the Barakat Trust that promotes the arts and cultures of the Islamic World.

The Hagia Sophia has featured in thousands of books and treatises throughout the centuries, many of which have praised the awe-inspiring spaces of this architectural feat. Yet recently, the building has made headlines for very different reasons, as politics and heritage become entangled. In this week’s podcast, Professor Bissera Pentcheva helps us to navigate the complex story of the Hagia Sophia, and brings to the fore the beauty and magnificence of a building that, through the use of sound and light, was meant to replicate Heaven on Earth.This episode was recorded prior to the effective conversion of the building into a mosque on 17 July 2020.The podcast features music from the interdisciplinary project Icons of Sound (2008–present), codirected by Bissera Pentcheva (Department of Art and Art History) and Jonathan Abel (Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics [CCRMA]) at Stanford University and performed by Capella Romana. We are very grateful for their collaboration.This podcast is part of Asia House Arts in Isolation Series and Converging Paths, an initiative organised in partnership with the Barakat Trust that promotes the arts and cultures of the Islamic World.

The Moon has been a revered orb for civilizations from all over the world. It provides gentle light during the night, sets the calendars and regualtes the tidal force. Ulrike Al-Khamis explores our fascination with this mystical celestial body and looks at the role it has played in faith, science, and the arts across the Muslim world and beyond. This podcast is part of Asia House Arts in Isolation Series and Converging Paths, an initiative organised in partnership with the Barakat Trust that promotes the arts and cultures of the Islamic World.

eL Seed works in the public sphere, for the people and most of the time, with the people. During this interview eL Seed sheds light into his career, his projects democratising art and on his roots, to reveal the ingredients that form his unique sense of perspective and community cohesion. This podcast is part of Asia House Arts in Isolation Series and Converging Paths, an initiative organised in partnership with the Barakat Trust that promotes the arts and cultures of the Islamic World.

Dr Sussan Babaie offers an illuminating conversation about how we, as a society, deal with misconceptions and stereotypes regarding our past and own cultures. She uses the example of Iran to reflect on these and other issues such as identity, education and rethinking cultural boundaries. This podcast is part of Asia House Arts in Isolation Series and Converging Paths, an initiative organised in partnership with the Barakat Trust that promotes the arts and cultures of the Islamic World.

Nixi Cura gives us a comprehensible historical insight on how has China dealt with the different ethnicities and minorities that form the modern-day country, and reflects on why trade is important to build up tolerance and harmonious coexistence.This podcast is part of Asia House Arts in Isolation Series and Converging Paths, an initiative organised in partnership with the Barakat Trust that promotes the arts and cultures of the Islamic World.

The Kaaba is the sanctuary at the heart of Mecca, where over one million pilgrims from around the world gather every year, and towards which the world's 1.8 billion Muslims pray. Join Dr Simon O'Meara for a fascinating conversation about the Kaaba and how Muslims have written about it over the centuries. This podcast is part of Asia House Arts in Isolation Series and Converging Paths, an initiative organised in partnership with the Barakat Trust that promotes the arts and cultures of the Islamic World.

Professor Tarek Swelim shares with us a remarkable time in history full of political conflict, intrigue and of course, beauty: Mamluk Egypt. Follow us on this inspiring journey to discover the savage outcome of this dynasty. This podcast is part of Asia House Arts in Isolation Series and Converging Paths, an initiative organised in partnership with the Barakat Trust that promotes the arts and cultures of the Islamic World.

Join BAFTA-nominated artist, Alia Alzougbi, in this inspiring and thought-provoking tale about individuality, self-overcoming and our role within a community. Alia’s practice is based on storytelling techniques and traditions and, as well as performing, she curates and produces cultural events. Alia is renowned storyteller, educator and cultural producer. She is Head of Global Learning London and is currently undergoing the Clore Fellowship Programme, which seeks to develop the next generation of leaders in the cultural industries.This podcast is part of Asia House Arts in Isolation Series and Converging Paths, an initiative organised in partnership with the Barakat Trust that promotes the arts and cultures of the Islamic World.

Navina Haidar, Curator in Charge of the Department of Islamic Art at the Metropolitan Museum of New York, takes us on an inspiring journey to South India and the sultanates of the Deccan. This was a land of great natural wealth that produced striking art and a culture of tolerance—a land where at least one sultan saw himself as both the ‘son of Ganesh' and a follower of Muhammad. This podcast is part of Asia House Arts in Isolation Series and Converging Paths, an initiative organised in partnership with the Barakat Trust that promotes the arts and cultures of the Islamic World.

Gallerist, economist and author Michael Backman reveals the importance and key role of the Malay world in the history of economy, business and trade; and discusses how the fluidity of the Malay world and its interaction with the rest of the world has impacted on its art.This podcast is part of Asia House Arts in Isolation Series and Converging Paths, an initiative organised in partnership with the Barakat Trust that promotes the arts and cultures of the Islamic World.

Professor Anna Contadini takes us through an evocative journey to discover the fascination and curiosity that Islamic art and intellectual thought inspired in the pre-modern European thinkers and scholars, and how that fascination—led by wonder and awe—resulted in the creation of some of the most beautiful cultural dialogues in the history of mankind. This podcast is part of Asia House Arts in Isolation Series and Converging Paths, an initiative organised in partnership with the Barakat Trust that promotes the arts and cultures of the Islamic World.