Mousa Al-Kordi

Tuesdays
Shadows

‘’My practice deals with the movement of light on an object within the flow of time. In such a context, shadow can be described as an optical manifestation of what I refer to as pactiveness or the in-between. Shadow is a volume of space with its own characteristics and dimensions determined by object, light and time.

Time can be a collection of moments – currently a moment is ten millionth of a second fast – a moment can be regarded as a constant if it continues to move at such a speed.
A shadow is a relatively slow projection of a moment. It is the parallel universe of a passive object. This space of shielded light has a numerical value for its speed, intensity and orientation. This value can be measured in moments.

Time is the simplification of ordering our world – its invisibility renders it political – we conform to its instant demands – we live longer in a shorter space of time.
Shadow and Tuesdays are located within the relentless flow of time, both connect and define the in-between space or the present and the future.’’

Mousa Al-Kordi was born on October 14 1951 in Gaza, Palestine to Muslim Palestinian mother and a Muslim Kurdish immigrant father. Before his first birthday he left Gaza to reside in Kuwait. In 1970, after completing his school education at the age of 19, he left Kuwait to study engineering in England.

 

 
 

 

Profile

In 1976 he commenced employment with the General Electric Company (GEC) and worked as a telecommunications engineer for a further 19 years. Following the death of his father in 19994, he had to resign his post and return to Jordan for two years. Upon his return in 1996 and in a total change of direction, Mousa decided to pursue his interest in calligraphy, painting and illustration. For the next four years he was part of group exhibitions in the South West and London, His involvement with the local community resulted in a few commissioned works.

In 1999 he embarked on a degree in Fine Art (specialising in painting) from Exeter School of Art, university of Plymouth. After graduating and particularly in the last two years, his interest in Islamic patterns and its use in Islamic architecture has been the driving force behind his work.
His first solo exhibition in May 2002 and the second in July 2003 in the Institute of
Arab and Islamic studies at the University of Exeter has been part of his investigation into the multi-tiered reliefs of the Murqarnas wall sculptures, their rhythmic distribution and the relationship between their geometry, space and the light reflected on them.

“ As a contemporary Arab artist, I have always sought some form of synthesis between traditional Islamic and western art forms. This quest has allowed me to establish a dialogue between language and image. Most art forms are detached, to a varying degree, from our perceived reality. This complexity, subtlety and variety of forms can often be symbolic. The interchangeability of subject and object, their destruction and reconstruction, provides me with a reference to produce a different other (change).

The inclusion of special and, more importantly, the human made reality (time) will constantly redefine who, what and where we are and point our perception of the world and, indeed, ourselves.”