Textile and Calligraphy Arts of Morocco

Looking at the Art of Lalla Essaydi

GRADES 3-12 

Adaptable for Grades 3-5 (textiles/marker and paint) and 6-12 (textile dye).

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Tennessee State Standards

SS.C.01 (K-3) Describe the cultural aspects of a place, including a student’s community and state. Identify various cultural groups within the U.S. and the students’ community.

3.VA.R1.B Speculate about processes an artist uses to create a work of art.

4.VA.Cn1.A Create art that communicates the cultural traditions of one’s community. 5.VA.Cn1.A Create art based on personal experiences, current interests, and surroundings.

6.VA.R1.B Identify and interpret works of art that reveal a variety of world cultures and values.

7-8.VA.Cr2.B Demonstrate awareness of ethical responsibility and the use of images, materials, tools, and equipment in the creation and presentation of original work.

HS3.VA.Cr1.A Envision and hypothesize creative risks and their implications while determining plans and direction of art-making.

GOALS

Students will be able to: 

• Observe examples of Moroccan textiles and patterns
• Learn about the impact and importance of calligraphy in Islamic art
• Connect the symbolisms of pattern and calligraphy to the art of Lalla Essaydi and her use of these elements in her art
• Make textile art using mark making and patterns

IMAGE CREDIT: Lalla Essaydi (b. 1956), Harem #10, 2009, chromogenic print mounted on aluminum with a UV protective laminate, edition of 15, 30 x 40 in., © LALLA ESSAYDI. Courtesy of the artist and Edwynn Houk Gallery, New York

Textiles and Calligraphy in photographs by Lalla Essaydi

Lalla Essaydi covers her models, and sometimes their garments and walls, in layers of hand-painted henna calligraphy, subverting traditional Muslim gender stereotypes through the presence of the written word. The sacred Islamic art form of calligraphy, traditionally reserved exclusively for men, is used by Essaydi as a small act of defiance against a culture in which women are relegated to the private sphere. Furthermore, by creating this calligraphy with henna, an art traditionally employed by women for women, Essaydi fully reclaims the female voice. The performative process and the resulting photographs allow Essaydi to push and pull the boundaries between East and West, male and female, past and present.

IMAGE CREDIT: Lalla Essaydi (b.1956), Les Femmes du Maroc; After the Bath

VOCABULARY

Orientalism – The imitation or depiction of aspects in the Eastern world, going back as far as the 1400s. These depictions are usually created by writers, designers, and artists from the West and show women in a sexualized and non-representational manner.

Arab – A cultural and linguistic term referring to those who speak Arabic as their primary language.

Stereotype – To form a fixed and often untrue or only partially true idea about a group that represents an oversimplified opinion or prejudiced attitude.

Calligraphy – An artistic, stylized, or elegant handwriting or lettering. It can also be used to refer to the art of producing such writing.

Henna – A paste made from the powdered leaves of a tropical shrub, used as a dye to color the hair and decorate the body. The ingredients for henna and the way it is applied varies by country.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

• List the ways artist Lalla Essaydi uses traditional artistic elements from her culture – in what ways are they similar to or different from the way those elements are usually made or seen?

• Discuss the ways repeating patterns are used in textiles.

• Consider how the artist uses calligraphy and writing in her work. Why do you think she intentionally made the writing illedible? How does this add to the intention of her work?

ACTIVITY SUGGESTIONS

Create repeating patterns and/or text and then transfer the patterns onto fabric.