The project was undertaken by eL Seed, Savera Iftikhar and Ali CoolGuy as a collective work of art, in keeping with the spirit of community. The art piece consisted of a canvas made entirely from parts of used t-shirts donated by individuals throughout Chicago.
Savera built the canvas and then, alongside Ali CoolGuy, helped eL Seed realize a calligraphic composition, using regular and spray-paint. The phrase that was painted in calligraphy on the t-shirt canvas means ‘there is no death, only a change of world’. This phrase comes from the North-American First Nation Duwamish: paying homage to their strong sense of duty and environmental stewardship.
Furthermore, ‘there is no death, only a change of world’ is nicely demonstrated in the ‘second-life’ that the recycled T-shirts now enjoy as part of a collaborative work of art. Weaving this Duwamish philosophy with the curves and strokes of Arabic calligraphy brings to light the environmental principles that are present, yet oft forgotten, in Islamic sources.
Savera built the canvas and then, alongside Ali CoolGuy, helped eL Seed realize a calligraphic composition, using regular and spray-paint. The phrase that was painted in calligraphy on the t-shirt canvas means ‘there is no death, only a change of world’. This phrase comes from the North-American First Nation Duwamish: paying homage to their strong sense of duty and environmental stewardship.
Furthermore, ‘there is no death, only a change of world’ is nicely demonstrated in the ‘second-life’ that the recycled T-shirts now enjoy as part of a collaborative work of art. Weaving this Duwamish philosophy with the curves and strokes of Arabic calligraphy brings to light the environmental principles that are present, yet oft forgotten, in Islamic sources.
