Islamic Astronavigation and Art
Inspired by a new exhibition of paintings exploring migration, ancestry and time by Leicester artist Sarah Al-Sarraj at Two Queens Gallery, the National Space Centre presents an activity day dedicated to astronomy and Islam in collaboration with the New Crescent Society.
- 20th Oct 2024
- Drop in activities included in standard day entry
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Inspired by a new exhibition of paintings exploring migration, ancestry and time by Leicester artist Sarah Al-Sarraj at Two Queens Gallery, the National Space Centre presents an activity day dedicated to astronomy and Islam in collaboration with The Arab British Centre and New Cresent Society.
Time reckoning and navigation using the skies has long been part of Islamic cultural practice in order to determine prayer times and the Islamic calendar. For Muslim communities, Islam teaches us that seeking knowledge is a core religious practice, we understand that ‘Ayat’, the signs of Allah’s creation that lead us towards revelation, can be found in three places: the Quran, the souls of man, and the natural world. This event will focus on the relationship between Islam, astronomy, ecology and so-called ‘science fiction’.
Activities, Talks and Shows
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Talk from Sarah Al-Sarraj – Separated by Millennia LIVE space
- 11:45
A talk by artist Sarah Al-Sarraj exploring world building and specifically conceptions of space and time from the global majority, with a focus on Islamic and Arabian history and folklore. Her presentation will touch on navigation methods native to the Arabian peninsula, cartography, deep time, determinism and Black Quantum Futurism.
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Drop in Activity – Sci Fi Zine workshop with Sarah Al-Sarraj
- 12:30
A science fiction zine making workshop by Sarah Al-Sarraj and Jessica El Mal. This creative workshop will introduce the concept of world building to participants using examples on view at the Centre. Participants are invited to make their own zines using collage.
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Astronomy & Islam: An Introduction to the Islamic Calendar
- 13:30 and 15:00
Astronomy and Islam have been linked through the religion’s ritual practice: the prayer times are based on the sun; the months are based on the moon; and Muslims used to find the direction for prayer using the stars. In this presentation, you’ll be offered an overview into how the Islamic calendar works, and why Muslims in the UK today sometimes can’t agree on the Islamic calendar date! You will also practically learn how to sight the next crescent moon, which commences each Islamic calendar month.
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®Hufton+Crow Astronomy and Islam Tour of the Night sky planetarium show
- 14:30
This tour of the night sky will highlight some of the links between Arabic astronomy and some of the constellations visible in the sky at the moment. It will also include how to spot the next new crescent Moon
About Sarah al-Sarraj
Sarah al-Sarraj is a British-Iraqi visual artist and cultural worker. Her practice spans painting, comic books, moving-image and animation. Her work is often narrative based, employing speculation and fantasy as a means to vision beyond world-ordering power structures and subvert hierarchies. Her research makes use of indigenous, queer, eco-anarchist, and spiritual thought. Her comic book, Sinkhole, was selected for New Contemporaries 2022 and in 2023, she was awarded a grant from the Arts Council to develop an animation practice. She has been collaborating with Helen Starr’s Mechatronic Library. She has shown her work nationally and internationally, notable presentations include Camden Art Centre, 180 Strand and South London Gallery.
Alongside her arts practice, she is on the board of trustees at Inclusive Mosque Initiative, an intersectional feminist mosque and has previously worked at Forensic Architecture.
