A Thread of Light
A recap of everything that went down at our V&A Friday Late takeover
Hello and Ramadan Mubarak!
I hope that you have all had a wonderful, peaceful start to the holy month.
We kicked off our Ramadan in an extra special way this year, with the Muslim Sisterhood takeover at the V&A Museum, celebrating Islamic art and culture, bringing in artists from across the SWANA region.
Our very own Lamisa Khan and Hafsa Adan did the most spectacular job of curating a night that brought in a beautiful symphony of different voices through different mediums to celebrate the diversity of Islamic culture in a historic cultural landmark.
The V&A transformed into a completely different space—embracing diversity, celebrating Islamic culture, and shifting away from its colonial legacy to become a space that spotlighted more inclusive and representative institution.
Bringing together different disciplines and art-forms and spanning across multiple rooms, we were taken on a multi-sensory journey through both the museum and the SWANA region.
Sonically, we took a journey through Sudan and Egypt. The Cairo Girls’ School took over the Raphael Court, a room modelled after the Sistine Chapel, and transformed it into a ethereal, spiritual space for Islamic storytelling and healing. Anyone who was in the room for either for their two performances was totally entranced by their powerful Indigenous sounds.
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Meanwhile in the Dome, Tabidee transported us to Sudan through her DJ set throughout the night - getting the crowd moving and dancing all night long - before ending with a beautiful Salawat to mark the start of the holy month.
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Throughout the night, we also had the opportunity to listen into a host of insightful conversations. Our friend Tahmina Begum, writer of The Aram, spoke to Warda Mohamed, Mohammed-Zain Dada and Sabrina Ali on the importance of creating narratives for Muslim people, unpacking how we can create more space for stories so that people from our communities can feel seen, and their stories heard. We also heard from architect architect Shahed Saleem and architectural designer Leen Ajlan on the Muslim design identities in contemporary architecture and design.
In the Medieval and Renaissance Room, Rayan Elnayal spoke to V&A Senior Curator Meneesha Kellay about her methodologies on creating a future fictional spaces inspired by Sudan & its diaspora - her beautiful visions of a future projected against the medieval structures of the room itself.
Dotted throughout the museum V&A, rich inspiration from emerging artists could be found, ranging from Zaineb Abelque’s dream-like Trouvés photo series against the striking blue backdrops of the Prince Consort Gallery to the The West Asian and North African Women’s Art Library (WANAWAL) curated by Evar Hussayni. More interactive activities invited deeper engagement, including 3EIB’s Room to Play, with beautiful giant chess pieces and a mix of games from different heritages that encouraged people to play, as well as the highly sought after Palestinian Tatreez Workshop.
These installations were particularly powerful in bringing together community - I loved witnessing how the art sparked discussions between friends old and new, and the games that were played.
This week, I asked Lamisa and Hafsa some questions about their reflections on the curation process and the incredible reception the event received, with over 4600 people attending.
What does it mean to you to curate your own evening at the V&A?
Lamisa: The V&A is one of my favourite museums. I can remember being completely absorbed by the Islamic arts and south Asian collections when I was younger. So as you can imagine having the privilege to curate a V&A late is definitely a pinch me moment.
What inspired you during the curation process?
Lamisa: It is so important for us to claim our space within public institutions and actively participate in shaping the narratives around our histories, heritage, and the future of young Muslims. In curating this experience, as with all our work, we were committed to reflecting the diversity and richness of our ummah. We considered the many extraordinary Muslim artists and practitioners whose work we deeply admire and wanted to highlight.
Given the V&A’s remarkable collection of textiles and fashion, it felt only natural to feature a Tatreez practitioner to lead a workshop. The talented Muna from Tatreez Revival traveled all the way from Sheffield, bringing her grandmother’s Tatreez dresses, and taught attendees the traditional Palestinian craft.
We were also determined to ensure that alcohol would not be sold at our Late, as it did not align with our audience's values—this is something we prioritise at all of our events. Instead, we partnered with Gaza Cola to run the bar, with all proceeds supporting the rebuilding of hospitals in Gaza. Taking such a stand at a major public institution in the West is a significant step. We were incredibly fortunate to collaborate with the wonderful Contemporary team at the V&A, who advocated for us and shielded us from navigating the often cumbersome institutional bureaucracy.
Over 4600 people attended the evening, which is really quite incredible. How did you feel when you saw that the community really showed up for you on the evening?
Hafsa: The turnout was crazy! It really felt like a testament to everything we’ve wanted to achieve through muslim sisterhood. I’m so grateful to everyone who came and to all the incredible practitioners who shared their beautiful work with us. I’m still in disbelief that this even happened.
I felt so incredibly full of love and warmth seeing everyone come out to celebrate with us. The sense of community especially before ramadan honestly filled me with so much joy and it really showed me how necessary it is for us to do take overs and curate events like this in large institutions because hearing the athaan and seeing so many muslims in the V&A was beautiful to behold.
Thank you to all the curators, artists and contributors for bringing your unique voices and craftsmanship to make the evening as special as it was.
In all my times visiting the V&A, the energy has never been more electric - it really felt like the community was coming out together and celebrating our different histories and heritages coming together under one beautifully ornate roof. It was truly special and heartwarming to see the number of people that came out in support (the building was packed out!!) and I hope you all left feeling as uplifted and inspired as I did.
Watch this space as we’ll be sharing another collaboration post with The Aram as part of The Ramadan Edit
In the mean time, take care and Ramadan Kareem
Yasmin x
P.S. If you’re interested in any collaborations, you can reach out to us via email at: info@muslimsisterhood.com