Workshop Tales of Pots Strainers

Ms. Iman Mekkawi, a visual artist and interior designer at the Egyptian Opera House, and former director of the Damanhour Opera House

05 August 2024

10:00 AM

Bibliotheca Alexandrina Main Building, Antiquities Museum, Afterlife Hall

 

The BA Antiquities Museum, affiliated with the Cultural Outreach Sector, is organizing a workshop entitled: “Tales of Pots Strainers” on Monday and Tuesday, 5 and 6 August 2024, 10:00 am, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina Main Building, Antiquities Museum, Afterlife Hall. The activities of the first day begin with an introductory lecture on Islamic art and ceramic art delivered by Ms. Iman Mekkawi, a visual artist and interior designer at the Egyptian Opera House, and former director of the Damanhour Opera House.

The lecture includes presenting examples of pots strainers, and a presentation that will introduce the types of clay used to make pottery. Pots strainers received special attention from Muslim artists because of their functional and artistic importance. It received the care of craftsmen and pottery men in Islamic periods in particular. The pottery industry has witnessed great development since the times of ancient Egypt, especially in the Islamic era, the artist excelled in manufacturing and decorating pottery products, in terms of form and function. These decorations were characterized by creativity and precision, as what is known about Eastern art in general and Islamic art in particular is the love of filling in the blanks, and not leaving empty spaces. The shapes of the decorations varied between geometric, floral, and animal, which created a multiplicity and classification of the pieces based on the decorations of this region, which represented a type of marketing and promotion of the product.

On its second day, the event includes a workshop to train participants on implementing models for pots strainers, starting with designing with multiple forms of geometric, plant and animal decorations.