I have strived to reach the highest levels of artistic mastery, but I found that Islamic Calligraphy was there ages before I was.— Pablo Picasso.
These are the words of one of the most prominent founders of modern art about the beauty of Arabic Calligraphy, and uses of words and characters in abstract visual arts. On the other hand the very least that can be said about the Arabic language is that it is rich, diverse, beautiful, and perhaps even magical…
Although we are Arab and live in an Arabic country and are proud of our heritage and language, we greet each other in other languages, and exchange gifts that are far from our roots. While multinational brands are racing to apply aspects of our language in products and visual identities, we are migrating further west.
Agreed, other languages dominate the world today, but the ability to communicate internationally and the ability to communicate internationally while maintaining a distinct personality and heritage are two completely different things.
The attached images are of the launch event of the “Arabic Invoice”. Guests of the event were given a beautifully framed and wrapped calligraphy artwork that was sealed in wax with the unique letter in Arabic (dhadh). This event was part of the initiative launched by the DED (Consumer rights sector) to ensure that the Arabic language is added to all sales receipts and invoices in addition to English within a certain timeframe. The two groups that spearheaded this initiative with the DED were Alshaya Group, and AlTayer Group who also sponsored the event.
"To reside and work in a country it is necessary to first understand the culture and heritage and respect them, and at the very least be able to utilise the rich sources of beauty from within that culture to be able to communicate with any depth. Without this understanding, creative communication is reduced to just creativity that does not communicate."
Comments