Why Can't They See Us?
This mural is the result of a collaboration between VMF and SFU’s Centre for Comparative Muslim Studies (CCMS). In January of 2018, Aslam Bulbulia, the Coordinator of Community Engagement Initiatives at CCMS, reached out to VMF to see if there was a possibility of collaboration on a mural project that would address islamophobia in public spaces in Vancouver.
Project Description
Aslam described the programming he and others at CCMS had been hosting in 2018 that connected with this issue as well as intersecting issues of settler colonialism, and the complexity of creating public art on stolen lands. In the end, the mural that was produced was built on the foundation of two public community programs offered at CCMS. “Being Muslim,” was a series of community conversations on what it is to be Muslim in the Lower Mainland and Introduction to Arabic Calligraphy and Islamic Geometric Design, where members of the public could learn the basics of these traditional designs and scripts.
Over the next months, Aslam and CCMS selected graphic designer and photographer Doaa Jamal, to be the muralist for this project. Doaa’s professional expertise lies in creating dynamic visuals for individuals and organizations eager to understand their identity through the power of colour, shape, and symbolism. Doaa experiments with Arabic calligraphy and type; mixed media fabrication; and travel photography, all from her point of practice in Vancouver, BC. Why Can’t They See Us? is Doaa Jamal’s first mural, a 35’ wide Quran verse in multicolour Kufic calligraphy wrapping around and beneath the R-Space Art gallery in the laneway at 123 E 8th Ave, Vancouver.
Mural Description
Doaa’s mural, “Why can't they see us?,” utilizes a modern version of the traditional Arabic Kufic script to convey a message of pluralism and learning from differences using a verse taken from the Quran - "We have created you from male and female, and made you into nations and tribes that you may know one another." (49:13) In the weeks leading up to the festival, the mural became a hub of community connection as friends and volunteers came to help paint the mural and bring water and food to feed Doaa and the other artists. The excitement peaked at the festival's launch and we hope the area continues to be a point of pride and a place of connection for years to come.
Meet the artist
Doaa Jamal is a freelance graphic designer and photographer. Her professional expertise lies in creating dynamic visuals for individuals and organizations eager to understand their identity through the power of colour, shape, and symbolism. And through the scope of her lens, she captures small moments in time to create big expressions of personality. Each of her portraits is a welcome window for endless stories and emotion.
