Madly-in-Verse: ceramics

Showing posts with label ceramics. Show all posts

Sunday, 30 April 2017

Z is for...Zaghareet...and...Zellige....

is for

Zaman, a band from Palestine. Their music is a fusion of Arabic and Spanish and Roma. More about them here.

Zahraa Berro, a child artiste from Lebanon, with Mawtini, which you’ve heard from Elissa and Faia before in this A-Z series. Zahraa has a crystal clear voice, and her rendition is moving. Though I don’t like the drama with the rose and the sound effects – imho they are redundant and a distraction. Anyhoo. I liked this version, children singing always move me, whatever the level of talent, and this little girl is talented beyond doubt. Have a listen

Zaghareet - (singular zagharout) meaning ululation. Performed as an expression of joy, to celebrate an occasion and/or welcome/felicitate a person, all through the MENA region.

As an interesting aside, Bengalis also ululate at weddings and religious/celebratory events just like the Arabs. Common practice in some other parts of Africa also. I understand both ancient Egyptians and Sumerians ululated, the practice really goes back deep into antiquity.

Zellige

Zellige is the name given to Moroccan decorative ceramic mosaics. The patterns are abstract and repetitive - in accordance with Islamic principles. Most of them are based on the geometry of the circle. Mosaics are nothing new, of course, used well before the advent of Islam.

Roman mosaic from the 2nd century found in a wealthy urban
residence. Villa of the Birds, Kom al Dikka, Alexandria, Egypt.

Detail of Byzantium era mosaic. Madaba Archaeological Park.
Madaba, Jordan.

The use of glazed ceramics in architecture was established in Persia by 6^th century BCE. Mosaics existed in pre-Islamic Persia by the 3^rd century, and in Rome/Byzantium even before that.

Zellige mosaic in the Alhambra Palace. Note the strapwork weaving
over and under each other. Complex! Granada, Andalusia, Spain.

Moroccan zellige was first developed around a thousand years ago – the Almoravid rulers introduced these mosaic tiles in mid-11^th century. The colour palette was broadened under Merinid rulers in the 13^th century and the zellige mosaics reached unsurpassed heights in Andalusia, in the buildings of Granada and Cordoba, by the mid-14^th century.

Detail of zellige mosaic. Royal Palace, Seville. Spain.

Zellige making is incredibly fiddly – a mind boggling combo of art and science and inspired. First the tiles are made in a range of colours/glazes. Then a master-cutter wields a heavy hammer-chisel hybrid (menqash) with supreme finesse to cut out the tiny pieces (tesserae in English, furmah in Arabic).

Detail of mosaic. Note the strapwork radiates out from a central
eight point star. Alhambra Palace, Granada, Andalusia, Spain.

Floor inset, based on Moroccan Zellige. Beit al Quran Museum,
Manama, Bahrain.

Detail of above, showing geometric pattern. Note the presence
of the 8-point star in the interstices.

The required pieces are then assembled face down from a central point onwards to ensure a smooth, even surface for the front of the finished mosaic. Not a single mismatch in colour, not one wrong placement, otherwise the pieces don’t fit, not the slimmest margin for error. Takes the phrase “working blind” to a whole new level, doesn’t it?

Once the mosaic pattern is assembled, it is moistened, a mixture of backing material is poured into the frame and left to set. When set, the zellige is removed from the frame and taken for installation. This clip illustrates the process -

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So that completes my A-Z 2017 - as in all other years, I have had a super duper fun time, both writing and reading. I hope you too have had a pleasant time here.

An apology on the length of the posts is in order. I did try some major culling though, oodles of stuff left out - a heap of musicians, all literature, mother-of-pearl inlay, the internet, woodwork, parks, the importance of water, the month of Ramadan...uff, chop chop chop the whole time and even then my posts were humongous. But I hope I've been able to get across at least a part of the vibrancy and beauty and diversity of this culture I'm privileged to see up close.

Leaving you with this song by Oum, "Here" from her album Zarabi -

'Here, my eyes have seen grace...

Here, we found peace...

Here, the Eden where we got lost,

Here, we got lost...'

A tad melodramatic in ordinary convo, but you get my general drift...

To each one of you who came along with me on this exploration, for a few steps, or the entire way - a big, fat thank you for your patience and your support! Or as the Arabs would put it ~

Alf shukr! wa ma'a salaama!