Calligraphy Workshop & Sunset Gathering
Featuring Oud Musician, Alaa Abdulbaki
A workshop and musical evening dedicated to the local immigrant and second-generation immigrant community
Join us for an evening of Arabic calligraphy, meditation, and community by the Potomac River followed by a musical performance and open mic led by Alaa. The event will include:
A guided somatic* meditation: Restoring connection and intimacy with our ancestral lineage, wisdom, and way of life.
The Arabic** calligraphy workshop, using the traditional tools of the craft. (Light refreshments; no prior knowledge of Arabic is required to take this workshop).
A free music and open mic event: Music, poetry, meditation, Arabic coffee, and storytelling [click here if interested in performing]
**Calligraphy Workshop Full**
All workshop attendees are invited to stay for the sunset gathering.
*Somatic meditation engages the body in a word-less form of healing and spiritual transcendence. It involves breath work, music, and gentle guiding questions that initiates an interior journey through the body. Somatic breathing gifts you the presence of the self, a chance to intimately observe the state of the body without judgement and without the desire to alter or amend it. Overtime, somatic work lends itself to massive shifts and changes, but that is not the intention with which it is approached and practiced. The primary intention is always to offer presence to the self, to listen, to observe, and to rest in the body as it is, not as it should be.
Read about the workshop:
My meditative calligraphy workshops began a few years ago in Samos, Greece, where I worked closely with refugees of all ages and nationalities in small and large sessions as a way of addressing (and beginning to heal) the trauma within in an un-intrusive and gentle manner. What distinguishes this calligraphy workshop is that it is led with a meditative & healing approach. It focuses on the artistic qualities of the practice of calligraphy over the technicalities of it, and it offers a feminine approach to a predominantly masculine medium. It is one of the most beautiful ways to introduce people to the culture and art of a region which is often quite unfairly and inaccurately represented in the media. This class, while focusing on calligraphy, will also introduce students to music, art, and literature from the region. This is an all encompassing workshop which focuses on the interior state of the participating student, while teaching a new craft, and learning more about the MENA region.
How does it work?
By learning to understand and speak the language of the hands. Calligraphy demands a very particular form of engagement. Because so much of our emotions is released through our hands, I am often very attuned to the emotions of the participant based on how they hold the reed pen and how they move it across the page. In previous workshops, I would take these observations and work closely with artists in helping them become more aware of their current mindset by simply drawing attention to the motion and position of their hands. In addition, I often begin each session in silence and meditation, giving each participant the time to make that necessary transition. Both I and the students I have worked with have used calligraphy to work through very difficult periods of our lives, and I believe some may find this class particularly helpful if they are passing through a challenging time.