1001 Prayers, 2013

Prayers, South Asia, Islam, Taveez, 1001 nights, thread, silk, meditation, color

1001 Prayers

Ink and paper wrapped in silk and tied with metallic thread

Diameter is approximately 2 feet

2013

Throughout the Muslim world prayers are wrapped around fabric, tied with string and worn on the body. In Urdu these are called a taweez. I wrote 1001 individual prayers, wishes and thoughts that came to mind while I was making the piece.

The title is derived from the book, "One Thousand and One Nights". A book that is a collection of folk tales from the Muslim world. Specifically, the work was collected over many centuries by various authors, translators, and scholars across West, Central, South Asia and North Africa. The tales themselves trace their roots back to ancient and medieval Arabic, Persian, Indian, Egyptian and Mesopotamian folklore and literature.