Make Your Mark

Dots are fundamental to identifying different letters in the Arabic alphabet. Adding and removing dots creates different letters and different sounds. The power is in the dot. 

This video introduces students to the beauty of the Arabic script and the joy of writing the letters of the alphabet. 

Idil uses the medium of clay to explore shapes, connect with the practice of henna, and tell stories from her life that illuminate her connection with language and the shape it takes in her life. These stories link language and culture, including the practice of writing on wooden boards, making ink, and the evolution of each individual’s writing practice, as experienced through multiple senses. 

Lesson topics include:

• Introduction to the alphabet

• Introduction to calligraphy and the art of writing

• Finding the shapes of letters in nature

• A meditation upon writing and the senses

• Taking writing outdoors, using sidewalk chalk, making ink

• Writing on rocks and trees with clay slip.

CREDITS

Lead Artist: Idil Abdullahi

Director: Marian Abboud

Cinematographer: Antoine Mouawad

Produced By: Think+DO Tank Foundation

Edited By: Miriana Marusic