E.K. Myerson
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Curation:
Anchorless Bodies: Navigating Arabic in Medieval Manuscripts with works by Emii Alrai
In 2023, I curated an exhibition of works by Emii Alrai, alongside medieval manuscripts and artefacts.
These medieval and modern objects were gathered together to display some of the routes through which Arabic texts came to medieval England. The phrase ‘Anchorless Bodies’ is one which Alrai has used to describe her artworks: sculptures and drawings inspired by archaeological excavations, medieval astronomy and ancient industrial practices. ‘Anchorless Bodies’ are unmoored in space and time: a condition which may be experienced by looted objects, ghosts, alchemical metals, celestial forms and immigrant communities. Through their shared experience, Alrai’s artworks entered into a dialogue with these premodern artefacts.
Arriving in medieval England, Arabic books and instruments were used for navigation – of the sea, stars, earth, body, and mind. As most English readers could not understand Arabic, these texts also required aids for navigation: translations and illustrations. This exhibition showcases a range of journeys: imaginative and physical travel, voyages to crusader and colonial settlements, economic and spiritual migration – from Tunisia to Italy, from Jerusalem, Baghdad and Al-Andalus to England.
Exhibition guide: free download
Exhibition documentation 🔗