The Shed hosted Aisha Amin’s "Open Call", The Earth Has Been Made a Place of Prayer, from June 1 - August 1, 2021.
As part of her “Open Call” commission, Amin documented Masjid At-Taqwa in Bed-Stuy, which she describes as a spiritual haven juxtaposed against the dense urban form surrounding it.
What started as a photo project on storefront mosques became a 9-minute documentary on At-Taqwa entitled “Friday”, which was filmed inside the Brooklyn mosque and focuses on the impact of gentrification.
Amin's installation at the Shed is a four-screen, 360-degree immersive experience with repurposed documentary work from "Friday", soundscape from the interior of Masjid At-Taqwa, and prayer mats facing Mecca. Amin describes representation as the center of her work as she explore religious space as a refuge, meditative space and center of Muslim community life in Brooklyn. The narrator is Imam Siraj Wahhaj, the founder of Masjid At-Taqwa.
Founded in 1891, the mosque was a catalyst on its Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn block and help herald its transformation as new businesses and schools opened. Now it is experiencing intense real estate pressures as real estate prices and rents increase throughout Brooklyn and the rest of NYC.
Main Image: The Shed - Open Call
Sources:
The Shed Youtube Page: I am Aisha Amin | Open Call 2021 |THE SHED
