Site-specific installation. Instituto de Canarias Cabrera Pinto, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, 2006.
WIKISLAKITSCH is a Site-Specific intervention in various elements of single architectural space. the glass in windows profusely decorated with kitsch vinyl designs, whose ornamental patterns are based on the traditional forms of the Islamic culture; a type of see-through foil lately very popular in decorative trends in Egypt and other countries although it is usually made in Asian countries. A light box acting as an advertising billboard is placed at the center of the courtyard, presenting a text written in a singular Arabic calligraphy, which is the description given in wikipedia of “Islamic Art”.
The re-introduction of the word "Islamic Art" by contemporary Western curators and theorists was set against terms of "Islamic terrorism" and "Islamic fundamentalism" following 9/11 and the implicitly growing interest in the "Islamic world". This interest subsumes mainly the Middle East, disregarding pivotal continental and regional differentiations. It also shows, that standards and paradigms are defined in the West to encircle "another" – who would set a body of work from Europe in a frame of Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, etc., if religion was not related to the contents of the piece? Living in close proximity to a mosque does not make a piece of work Islamic, neither makes the neighboring church a work a Christian one. The trap of the description "Islamic Art" lies in ignoring the fact, that there is a difference between religion and culture, society and individual.
For This project "Wikislamkitsch #1" Khaled chose to collaborate with creative expert Mohammed Fahmy from Cairo, who is in charge of designs ranging from kitchens, coffee shops and stores to accessories. Placing traditional basic elements from oriental and Islamic background in a contemporary context. Fahmy tackles new impulses for stylish moulding. For the given context of the in situ work Fahmy was asked to "decorate" the space. Fahmy decided in favor of a transparent foil with a variation of ornaments in green shades (green is the "color of the Prophet", signifying life and fertility) to cover the windows overlooking the quadrangle. This kind of see-through foil in different colors and patterns, which are recognized as "Islamic", is cheaply produced in China. The low-wage economy enables any social class to satisfy nostalgia and to serve visual identity for a reasonable price. Furthermore, a billboard placed in the centre of the patio announces an "objective" explanation of "Islamic Art", which is taken from an Internet encyclopedia, employing Latin letters generated in calligraphy.
A light box (400cm X 200cm) was placed as an advertising billboard in the center of the courtyard, displaying the "objective" explanation of "Islamic Art", taken from an Internet encyclopaedia, employing Latin letters generated in calligraphy.
Produced by the 1st Architecture, Art & Landscape Biennial of the Canaries,
For This project "Wikislamkitsch #1" Khaled chose to collaborate with creative expert Mohammed Fahmy from Cairo, who is in charge of designs ranging from kitchens, coffee shops and stores to accessories. Placing traditional basic elements from oriental and Islamic background in a contemporary context. Fahmy tackles new impulses for stylish moulding. For the given context of the in situ work Fahmy was asked to "decorate" the space. Fahmy decided in favor of a transparent foil with a variation of ornaments in green shades (green is the "color of the Prophet", signifying life and fertility) to cover the windows overlooking the quadrangle. This kind of see-through foil in different colors and patterns, which are recognized as "Islamic", is cheaply produced in China. The low-wage economy enables any social class to satisfy nostalgia and to serve visual identity for a reasonable price. Furthermore, a billboard placed in the centre of the patio announces an "objective" explanation of "Islamic Art", which is taken from an Internet encyclopedia, employing Latin letters generated in calligraphy.
WIKISLAMKITSCH.pdf