Karimah Hassan
Life in Patterns option 01
What are the cultural patterns that thread the history of Brick Lane together? Patterns are an abstract symbol of our heritage. The colours, texture and imagery of the patterns on our clothes and furniture point to our cultural identity. This is even true of the patterns on food labelling in our kitchen cupboards. It is with this honouring of pattern in mind, that I have created a bright mural proposal for Brick Lane and mark the 50th anniversary of the independence of Bangladesh.
The story of Brick Lane is bound up with fabric- it includes the heritage of Spitalfields silk weaving, and traditional Jewish tailors, with contemporary vintage shops and high-end designers. The pattern collecting process will be interactive. I will do a call-out to residents of Brick Lane as well as small businesses, both in the street and online. This will ask participants to send in a variety of patterns from their daily lives, from this I will create a colouring book of Brick Lane patterns. The book will be free, online and available for local schools.
Life in Patterns option 02
reference images About Karimah Hassan:
Karimah is a multidisciplinary artist from London with roots in Wales, Yemen and Bangladesh. Her work revolves around community-driven storytelling, locations and cultural diversity. Hassan’s practice involves hosting ‘community show- case teasers’ under the disguise of an exhibition. In a curated line up, Karimah exhibits her painting alongside poetry readings, open-mic, live jazz and even football matches. After graduating with a MA in Architecture from the Royal College of Art and from the Mural Career Development programme (Toronto), Karimah went on to work with major clients including : The Barbican, Ted Baker, Arts Council England, The Highline New York, Toronto Council, FCUK and Crxss Platfxrms. Karimah is an artist in residence at Alexander McQueen’s Sarabande Foundation, working with Burberry and a recent solo show ‘Strangers Yearbook’ – a real time Insta-gallery featuring portraits of strangers and their various emotional states experienced during lockdown.
Karimah Hassan (@karimah.hassan) • Instagram photos and videos
