a visual anthology.
“The Digital Quilt,” is an ongoing visual project curated by The Abrahamic Center for Cultural Education.
Join us in creating a digital quilt documenting Islamic Prayer Rugs and their stories.
Who tells our stories? How do we deinstitutionalize our memories? Our sacred objects? Such questions are those our project aims to actively explore.
Each stitch transcends cultural and geographical boundaries. Those from all regions are welcome to participate. This project does not adhere to a traditional timeline. Submissions remain “Open Call,” as each image added exists in active conversation with that which precedes it.
- Encourage kinship and solidarity.
- Honor an intimate element of Islamic Prayer.
- Destabilize the tendency for personal stories to be disconnected from their narrators.
- Reimagine the archival process.
Who is welcome to participate?
– Any who possess a Prayer Rug (personal, passed down, or untouched).
– All ages, and locations welcome.
IN FOCUS: "PRAYER RUG, MAT"
A prayer rug (fabric, or pile carpet) is used by Muslims to cover the bare ground or floor during the various positions of Islamic prayer (prostration, sitting). This allows cleanliness to be maintained.
A quilt is a multi-layered textile, traditionally composed of two or more layers of fabric or fiber. Different fabrics, designs, and patterns are bound together by one thread. Our center aims to usher this concept into the digital realm.
Photo submissions are “stitched” together continuously (virtually) as they are received. They are formed into a “quilt.”
In the split second of prostration – worshippers’ knees arrive at a familiar place.
The coordinates, material, and form of prayer rugs may vary across geographic and temporal lines. However, for all worshippers in Islam – the prayer rug is a sacred vehicle, site, and element of prayer. In this way, it becomes a shared location. A symbol of unity.
What stories do they hold? From where do they arrive? What sentiments are captured within?
