arabesque – Haadia Nadeem VIS147A

Arabesques are a form of art, both beautiful and mathematically precise, with rhythmic and repetitive patterns. They are also integral to Islamic art; a large portion of arabesques that I myself have seen have been prints, calligraphy, and tiling in mosques.

On another hand, the tune that inspired my project was Arabesque No. 1 by Debussy. I don’t necessarily have an affinity for music, although I have always enjoyed this piece, and a little bit of research reveals that it is one of two pieces composed as a pair (Two Arabesques). From Wikipedia: “[Debussy’s] view of a musical arabesque was a line curved in accordance with nature…” I found this interesting, since in Islamic art, arabesques center themselves around foliage and nature, never living beings.

Finding this unexpected intersection, where one word (arabesque) could mean two things prompted my project. I placed it within my dorm room; a place which has served as my home for one year, and is as familiar to me as Islamic arabesques, but at the same time is not a place I’ve known long at all.

video of my radio playing

Leave a comment