Where Light Meets Plaster: Islamic Art Week Watch Party and Workshop

Elaborately carved plaster windows set with coloured glass are an architectural feature in many Middle Eastern countries, from Egypt to Iran. The designs vary from geometric strapwork, to calligraphy and floral compositions. As light shines through these windows, the colourful designs come alive and play across the building’s interiors. Though most surviving examples date from the 19th century, this tradition of pairing plaster and coloured glass goes back centuries.

This workshop, organised in collaboration with Islamic Art Week, provides a rare opportunity for participants to work with Egyptian artist, Mariam Ashraf, one of the few artists keeping this craft alive today. Participants will join a Watch Party in which Mariam will demonstrate the craft of plaster and its uses, which will be livestreamed to the global audience of Islamic Art Week viewers. We will then visit the Jameel Gallery for the Islamic Middle East, to view and discuss the windows on display there, together with curator Mariam Rosser-Owen. Participants will then have the opportunity to explore and experience the techniques for themselves, in a hands-on workshop. Each participant will carve a small plaster tile, following a simple design inspired by objects in the Jameel Gallery, which they can take home with them. 

Mariam Ashraf  is an Egyptian artist reviving traditional gypsum carving. She graduated from the Jameel House of Traditional Arts in Cairo in 2022, and then completed an MA in Traditional Arts at The King’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts in London, in 2026. She was selected for The King’s Foundation’s 35 Under 35 initiative in 2025. 

This event has been organised in collaboration with Islamic Art Week.