'Muslims in Brooklyn' Exhibit Pairs Oral Histories With Art

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN — A new year-long interactive exhibit at the Brooklyn Historical Society will let visitors not only see, but listen, to the borough's Muslim communities.

The new exhibit, called "An Opening" after the first chapter of the Qur'an, brings geometric art pieces created by Brooklyn artist Kameelah Janan Rasheed together with oral histories recorded for the society's "Muslims in Brooklyn" project.

Each visitor will be given an iPod Touch and headphones, which will automatically start playing an audio piece selected by the artist to accompany each image as they stand in front of the piece. The interactive exhibit will also play snippets of speech and stories as they move through the room to mimic hearing conversations in a crowded space.

"'Working with the oral histories gave me an opportunity to engage in a meditative process of deep listening and reflection as I moved in and out of different stages of creating,“ Rasheed said of the exhibit, which opened over the weekend. “I am appreciative of those who shared their histories and humbled by their willingness to allow me to reflect on these narratives through my installation."

(Kameelah Janan RasheedI Pull Them Archival Inkjet Print 2019)

The Muslims in Brooklyn project launched in 2017 as a way to preserve and amplify stories of Brooklyn’s diverse Muslim communities.

“BHS’s Muslims in Brooklyn oral history collection captures the stories of living individuals, their experiences, observations, thoughts and memories dating back to 1944,’ said Deborah Schwartz, president of Brooklyn Historical Society.

Rasheed's exhibit, at the Historical Society's location on Pierrepont Street, will be in place until June 2020.

It will be joined by another exhibit curated by BRIC’s Chief Curator, Elizabeth Ferrer, that will be on display at BRIC, or 647 Fulton St. This exhibit will bring eight New York-based artists alongside Rasheed’s exhibition at BHS for a show titled "Beyond Geographies: Contemporary Art and Muslim Experience."

The BRIC exhibit will start Thursday and be on display until November.

(Kameelah Janan RasheedCan You See Archival Inkjet Print 2019)