Calligraphy and shipping containers: A day in the life of street artist and architect Javid Jah
Watch him plan a shipping crate installation and create stunning paintings with Arabic lettering
Street artist and emerging architect Javid Jah wakes up promptly at 8:00 AM in his loft apartment, ready to begin his day. After morning prayer, he makes himself a coffee before heading into the Wonder Inc studio, where he works on his new and upcoming architectural and installation projects.
Wonder Inc is a company that Jah collaborates with, focusing on projects that merge public art murals with contemporary architecture. As a Muslim graffiti artist, he's particularly interested in how marginalized identities impact spatial design.
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After a full day at the studio, Jah goes home to work on his calligraphic paintings. He moves the brush to create Arabic calligraphy, although — as much as it may be hard to believe after watching this video — he wasn't always familiar with the Arabic language.
"As a Muslim growing up in a secular society, I felt one way to channel my history was to learn Arabic and study its calligraphy through the medium of graffiti," he says.
Ultimately, Jah is interested in helping to build new identities of contemporary Islam that are relevant to immigrants and their first generation Canadian experience through art and architecture.
You can see more of his work below:
Through The Eyes is a series of short films that provide a first person perspective on what it's like to live a day in the life of an artist. From dancers to tattooists, these films give an immersive and intimate peak into how one lives, breathes and expresses art.