I’m very pleased to present two films I DOP’d and edited with Soraya Syed on Islamic Calligraphy.
(I first met Soraya whilst DOPing of the multi-award winning feature documentary on calligraphy “Traces Of The Soul” in which she was one of the 12 artists featured)

The films above were commissioned by The Islamic Art and Material Culture Subject Specialist Network as part of their ACE funded activities that aim to support regional museums and their collections.

Excerpt from the SSN for Islamic Art and Material Culture blog post (Read the full blog post HERE):

“The art of Islamic Calligraphy can be said to be one of the most important historical developments in the Islamic world. Established over a thousand years and stretching across the world, calligraphy played a fundamental role in the development of Islamic Art and helped to develop a distinctive visual culture.

Hattat Soraya Syed has composed two beautiful short films consisting of a précis of the long and intricate development of the art of Islamic Calligraphy and the Methods, Materials and Training which go into establishing a master of this art. The films are not aimed at experts in the field, but they provide access to members of the public and to curators whose expertise is not in the area.“

Shot in September 2020 at Soraya’s studio in London with full COVID protocols in place.

Sony A7III
Tamron Di III RXD 28-75mm
Rode wireless GO
Sokani X60 vrs 2
Sachtler Ace Tripod

Edited in DaVinci Resolve 16