The Cave

As artist-in-residence at In-Situ, Nelson based artist Nazia Sultana embarked on an exploration of faith and connection to nature through a project centred on the earthly materiality of clay and the spiritual imagery of 'the cave'. Leading a group of 15 women through a series of indoor and outdoor meditative clay workshops, each person created an individual tasbih bead, which were later threaded onto rope and taken to a cave in Settle for a group meditation.

Here she reflects on the thinking behind this process that is drawn from the Quran, the imagery of the cave and the connections between making art and her spirituality.

“This is how Adam was created: from the earth ie; from its dust which was then mixed with water to form mud, which then became black, stinking mud. And this dust was created from the earth which is partly sand and when it is mixed it becomes sounding clay like the clay of pottery” (15;26) Quran

And my pottery journey began, with the above quote in mind I embarked on a journey of making...i wanted to share not only my love for arts and crafts but the deep spiritual connection i have with nature and my faith. I envisaged people playing, learning and making with this versatile material ‘clay’ and at the same time reflecting upon Allah's beauty and how and why we were created and where we inevitably end, back into the earth.

I planned to create a ‘Tasbih’ or ‘Rosary Beads’ . It is a term rooted in Arabic and holds significance within Islamic traditions as a practice of devout remembrance and praise. Encompassing a rich tapestry of spiritual customs. Tasbih involves the repetitive recitation of sacred phrases, this act is known as dhikr, involves the continual remembrance of the names of Allah. It is similar to the Rosary used in Catholicism, or the Japamala used in Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism and Jainism.

I envisaged people playing, learning and making with this versatile material ‘clay’ and at the same time reflecting upon Allah's beauty and how and why we were created and where we inevitably end, back into the earth.

The Tasbih serves as a means for individuals to stay mindful of Allah and seek spiritual closeness, especially during prayer, meditation, or moments of reflection. My participants will each make a large bead sphere the size of a cantaloupe. It will be made from clay and we will decorate it using a variety of techniques including carving, stamping, embossing, cutwork and adding shapes onto the sphere using a slip and score technique.

the cave offers a transformative potential, a place for meditation, dhikr remembrance and fikr contemplation.

The idea was to produce a large scale ‘Tasbih’ bead made by each participant from clay. Each bead is decorated and assembled as part of a larger tasbih, to be displayed as a large scale sculpture piece.I liked the idea of an outdoor nature trip where we could all engage directly with nature. I hoped that the participants could withdraw from everyday life and let their minds wander and engage in deep meditation and contemplation. So taking the theme of creating the tasbih made from a natural material I decided to link a cave experience for the group.In islamic texts, the cave offers a transformative potential, a place for meditation, dhikr remembrance and fikr contemplation.

for muslims, withdrawing from the commotion of everyday life to find solitude somewhere, or even just immersing oneself in nature, to reflect on the creation, is a means to connect with the creator.

The idea of the ‘Tasbih’ linked perfectly with a trip to a cave. On every occasion, the cave has provided the isolation to its occupant needed to deepen or restore his faith and continue fulfilling his purpose. Indeed, for muslims, withdrawing from the commotion of everyday life to find solitude somewhere, or even just immersing oneself in nature, to reflect on the creation, is a means to connect with the creator. Taking time to engage in a period of isolation and contemplation can reveal the trivialities of this world and the vastness of the Hereafter. Yet as part of striving to achieve the goal of ihsan, or excellence in worship, a person must find a place where he or she can be alone to seek Allah’s guidance. The Prophet (s) found the perfect setting in a cave.

A man went to the Prophet pbuh and said, “Which of the people is best?” He said “A man who strives in Jihad for the sake of Allah With his wealth and his self.” Upon hearing this, the man asked, "then who?” The Prophet responded, “A believer in a mountain pass who worships Allah and leaves the people alone.” Sahih MuslimIn his explanation Imam Nawawi said, “This does not mean the mountain pass itself, Rather what it is referred to is being alone and isolating oneself. A mountain pass is mentioned as a metaphor because it is usually devoid of people”. Like a cave, a pass between a mountain is a place carved out in the earth where a person can wander alone and reflect on life and his own self.

In the Qu’ranic Surah Al Kahf (The Cave), the cave represents a place of refuge, the story emphasises the resilience of faith in the face of adversity. Believers are shown to be courageous in difficult times and that Allah is the ultimate guardian of the steadfast. So for us who live in modern cities we may have to find solace and seclusion as best we can in our own surroundings. A mosque, a hiking trail, or a room in a house can take the place of the cave. It is a matter of attempting to temporarily abandon worldly affairs and concentrate completely on connecting to the divine with a sincere heart. Perhaps through this practice, a person may be able to see the world more clearly and concentrate completely on his or her purpose.

A mosque, a hiking trail, or a room in a house can take the place of the cave.

Whilst at the cave we collectively felt a sense of belonging and connectedness, yet fun, we shared experiences and supported each other not only in the hiking and whilst at the cave but the experience of making and working together on the ‘Tasbih’ a craft they had previously had not practised before. Through the workshops I had a speaker and microphone and I used this to go round the room discussing spirituality and experiences. I feel when people feel supported by others, they tend to have a better sense of purpose in life. I feel the participants not only served as a great emotional support for each other but sharing their thoughts and feelings with people who are listening gives you a sense of feeling validated.

Overall I feel friendships were formed that will last beyond the workshops and trip so I am very pleased the participants felt a sense of belonging and has helped many manage stress and we also become more resilient through sharing experiences especially when you may think you are on your own in your hardship. It helps to understand a wider range of perspectives. Discussing different viewpoints to the table can lead to more comprehensive decision making. Feeling valued and part of a team can also boost morale and in turn the participants produced beautiful but unique beads.

Nazia Sultana is a multi-media artist based in Nelson. She has been working as artist-in-residence at In-Situ for the past year exploring Muslim faith and connection to nature through co-creating clay Tasbih beads with a group of 15 women. These workshops culminated in a group visit, taking the beads to walk, pray and sing in a cave in Settle.

Nazia has worked with Brave Day Films to create a documentary about the project. Click here to view: