Salon Series 31: Using Arabic letterforms in Contemporary Book Art

We will be exploring examples of contemporary book art that utilizes different Arabic letterforms and their relationship to historical calligraphy and layout in old manuscripts. Islam Aly will discuss his own works and related content from Letterform Archive’s collection.

Islam Aly is currently a lecturer of Design in the College of Art Education at Helwan University. He graduated from the University of Iowa, with an MFA in Book Arts and a Ph.D. in Teaching and Learning with a concentration in Art Education. At Helwan University, Egypt he received a BA and an MA in Art Education. His artists’ books explore the possibilities of historical bindings in contemporary book art practice. He has combined book traditions with digital technologies. His work is created at the junction between culture, technology, and aesthetics.