Ummah (Community), 2021

Wood and yarn, 0.5 ft x 2 ft x 3 ft

In Islam, monuments like mosques are built to memorialize one person but turn into spaces of community worship, gathering, and belonging. Prayer rugs are accessible, everyday means of worship, often being stacked in the corner of the room for everyone to share and use in their most vulnerable moments of prayer. The prayer rug is therefore a symbol of collectivism and represents a sacred, personal connection with one’s faith and the community they share those beliefs and experiences with.

Ummah is a prayer rug made out of wood. By making a traditionally soft object rigid, I represent my own conflict and discomfort as I navigate the my intersectional Muslim identity. I retain softness in the piece by leaving much of the wood in its original form; the natural grain creates a soft and organic pattern to complement the fringe of the carpet which is made with soft, colorful yarn.

The mihrab (central design on prayer rug) is formed from an indent in the wood, as I both literally and metaphorically create space for my own relationship with Islam. The border of the rug is hand engraved with verses from the Quran and Hadith that deal with finding tranquility in community and treating others with equity and kindness. These engravings are done by hand intentionally, reflecting traditions of Islamic craftsmanship but also my own necessary involvement in crafting spaces that allow me to explore my identity.

The piece is displayed on the ground oriented towards the Qibla (Mecca), as a regular prayer rug would be. In this piece, individualism is exchanged for collectivism, softness and rigidity coexist, and space is created through my own labor for the existence and vibrant celebration of my identities.