Shukran (Thank you in Arabic: شكرا) for stopping by to visit with this art piece: Sul.tˤa (Arabic: سلطة).
Libyan artist Koloud Tarapolsi created Sul.tˤa/ سلطة to give Redmond community members a place to soapbox, pray, sing, rest, meditate, snack & find themselves in the middle of a pandemic.
It is currently being shown as part of Redmond Lights from December 4th to January 4th, 2020. If you post any photos, plus use #SultaRedmondLights so they can be found and shared on social media.
Sul.tˤa/ سلطة was inspired by a minbar (Arabic: منبر) or pulpit in a mosque. The word means “to have authority, a position of power” and eventually evolved into the English word sultan.
The hundreds of Arabic children names, on the outside walls, were shared by parents on a local Facebook page. Koloud Tarapolsi is an Arabic story teller for the King County Library System and has missed serving so many children during COVID19.
Ms. Tarapolsi wanted them to know that she was thinking about them and acknowledge them, even when she can’t be with them. The three words across the top of both outside walls say “Black Lives Matter.” Added to the side of the names of the children because as our future, she believes they will be the ones to redefine the racial inequalities that exist in our world.
The multicolored trim across the top, and archways on both sides, were inspired after seeing the Tripoli Cathedral in Libya, a building that served different religions in it’s lifetime.
The word hand stenciled inside on both walls says “Read” in Arabic, an important word to Koloud as an educator and art teacher.
The ceiling inside is made of poured paint to add color to the softly flickering lights. The gold & red arabesque design, suspended by plexiglass, is made of recycled cardboard rolls, inspired by Ms. Tarapolsi’s miniature quilled artwork. Children or adults can make their own such masterpiece at home from this easy vase tutorial.
To see the history of the conception of Sul.tˤa/ سلطة, stop by this Sul.tˤa (Arabic: سلطة) post.
To read step by step how Sul.tˤa/ سلطة was built, or to add your child’s name in Arabic on future installations, visit the Sul.tˤa (Arabic: سلطة) Facebook page.
To add fun, colorful, playful animals that bring Arabic into you or your child’s life, visit Koloud’s educational shop.
