Writing on the Wall (From Asian Image)

Writing on the Wall

10:10am Wednesday 3rd February 2010 in

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Graffiti artists joined poets at a sell-out event called the ‘Writing on the Wall’.

The event at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre was sponsored by the Islamic Bank of Britain and featured renowned Muslim artist and South Bank Show Award winner Mohammed Ali, Aka Aerosol Ali Ali’s live aerosol art was coupled with poetry from internationally renowned Zena Edwards, American performer Amir Sulaiman and Birmingham’s 2006 Poet Laureate Dreadlock Alien, as well as production by the legendary Hip Hop theatre producer Jonzi D.

Prior to the event, Ali took a two-week residency in the theatre, and worked alongside local visual artists to create unique images in the theatre’s scenic workshop, which is due to close for redevelopment.

‘Writing on the Wall’ was an idea thought up by Ali four years ago; the event was a radical expression of emotion and values through visual art and spoken word. The production interweaved sights and sounds to inspire the audiences’ imagination, provoking thoughts and creative fires. Live poetry and painting blended seamlessly in front of an all-around standing audience.

Mohammed said, “This concept has been four years in the making and I’ve been waiting to launch the project until I was happy with it. Not only is this a radical approach to art and spoken word, but I’m hoping to create art that will inspire people with hope and positivity. I’m trying to bring a bit of colour into some of the ugly conditions that exist in the world today. To bring together street-art and spoken word from some of the best poets around at the moment, and taking that into our city’s leading producing theatre is really quite exciting.”

Sultan Choudhury, commercial director at IBB said, “’Writing on the Wall’ was a fantastic event and IBB congratulates Mohammed Ali on his excellent achievement. Mohammed and IBB share the objective of connecting communities which he achieves impeccably through his inspiring visual art.

"IBB and Mohammed Ali are both considered pioneers in their respective fields, making the partnership a natural one based on the shared vision to break down barriers and reach our audiences through exciting and innovative ways.”

Mohammed Ali has established himself in the field of faith and the arts for the past decade. He has worked alongside various communities to inspire residents through exciting visual arts, promoting global concepts and ideals. The aim of his work is to not only express his own ideas through an aerosol can, but also connect communities. As well as numerous commissions around the world – including Sydney, New York and Kuala Lumpur – Mohammed recently won an award in the hugely respected ITV Southbank Show Awards. He is now developing his wall-based artwork, which has received media recognition across the world including CNN, BBC Newsnight, Aljazeera and Reuters.