Visiting the Master Illuminator

What does it take to be a master illuminator? What is the relationship between illumination and calligraphy? The second episode of the documentary series „Living Traditions“ accompanies artist Ayşe Gülcan Özbalak in her studio. The release date is 28th of November, at 7pm, on the YouTube channel of the AIWG project workshop „Beauty and Islamic Theology“.

Ever since she embarked on her studies, Ayşe Gülcan Özbalak’s love for the art of illumination (tezhip in Turkish), which means „to gild“, has never left her. In the second episode of the documentary series „Living Traditions: Islamic Art in Contemporary Turkey“, Özbalak describes her journey from studying the age-old art form and developing her own drawing style to her current teaching position, in which she passes on her knowledge and passion to her students. She imparts the patience and motivation needed to learn the demanding techniques, while at the same time accompanying her students on their personal journey towards developing love for and connection to this unique art form.

“I think too that […], perhaps the 21st century will also come to be remembered as a golden age for the art of ornamentation.”

Ayşe Gülcan Özbalak: Master illuminator

Keeping centuries-old art alive

The three-part documentary series was created under the direction of Dr. Bilal Badat as part of the AIWG project workshop „Beauty and Islamic Theology“. It explores the lives, work, and reflections of three exceptional craftsmen and women based in Istanbul, Turkey: a calligrapher, an illuminator, and a bookbinder.

In the first episode, artist Efdaludin Kilic introduced viewers to the profound knowledge and techniques behind Islamic calligraphy.

On January 17, 2022, the project workshop will release the third and final episode, which will center on the traditional art form of bookbinding.

The documentaries are released in Turkish with English subtitles.

Click here to visit the Project Workshop’s YouTube channel.

About the AIWG Project Workshop

The documentary series „Living Traditions“ and the multi-part interview series „Conversations about Beauty and Islamic Theology“ are the final outputs of the one-year AIWG project workshop „Beauty and Islamic Theology“, a joint research project of the Centre for Islamic Theology at the University of Tübingen and the Chair of Islamic Studies at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg. More on the interview series „Conversations about Beauty and Islamic Theology“.

More on the project workshop can be found here.