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             What If The Circle Disappeared              

 

Ink on Paper
120 X 90 CM
2015
What If The Circle Was To Disappeared?, a study on the use of the circle throughout history in relation to traditions of calligraphy in particular. Around 45 AH (Hijri calendar), the dot or circle was introduced to the Arabic language. It appears in conjunction with the early spread of Islam, and the slow merging of different cultures and people whose first language was not Arabic. The calligraphy used here by the artist is called Mushaf Koofee, or Old Kuffi—meaning before the introduction of the ‘dot’, and of the three main traditional Arabic calligraphic systems created by the Arabic calligrapher Ibn Muqlah in the ninth century. The three systems he created are Nizam Al-Dairah (system of the circle), Nizam Al-Nuqat (system of dots) and Nizam Al-Tashabuh (meaning imitation). 

In this work, Al-Salem is questioning what effect the possible non-existence of the circle may have had, using calligraphy as a vehicle for exploring social and religious questions. In Arabic culture, the circle is used as a way of social ordering—families eat seating on the floor, in a circular form; prayer and movement around the Ka’aba is done in a circular motion, even the steps within prayer movements are cyclical and hence, circular in nature. In Islam, the circle is considered to be the beginning and end of every shape, it is the initiator for a myriad different geometric forms used throughout Islamic art. It is also the basis for the instrument used to study the sky, before the world was acknowledged as being round in form. Nasser uses the original Kussi font with this, with the absence of dots from the lettering used to change or adapt the pronunciation and meaning of the words. The form of this font is difficult to master, the artist uses it both as a challenge to his calligraphic skills but also, as a simple way of exploring how something so basic can be so instrumental to the development of society, the impact of religion and consequently, the work becomes a comment on cause and effect leading to the state of the world today. 







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