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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20261014T183000
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DTSTAMP:20260811T102838Z
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UID:25298-1792002600-1792009800@royalasiaticsociety.org
SUMMARY:Performing Beauty Film Screening
DESCRIPTION:About the film\nPerforming Beauty | سماع قلم is a documentary in seven movements exploring the aesthetic\, spiritual\, and cultural significance of the Persian calligraphic script Nasta‘līq. Blending evocative imagery\, poetry\, and the voices of artists\, scholars\, and designers\, the film traces Nasta‘līq’s unfolding from its origins in Persian verse to its enduring presence in contemporary art and design. Structured as a visual poem rather than a linear narrative\, the film invites viewers to experience calligraphy as presence — rhythmical\, layered\, and contemplative — revealing how a script born of poetry became a symbol of cultural identity\, beauty\, and resilience. \nPerforming Beauty has had previous screenings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York\, Khaneh Cinema in Tehran and Goldman Sachs Americas Muslim Forum in both New York and Dallas. \nAbout the director\nMehran Haghighi is an Iranian-American filmmaker\, producer\, and co-founder of Homa Films. He is dedicated to creating films that explore the artistic\, cultural\, historical\, and spiritual heritage of the Persian and Persianate world for international audiences. \nHis producing credits include the acclaimed feature films Djomeh\, winner of the Camera d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2000\, and Bab’Aziz: The Prince Who Contemplated His Soul. He also produced the documentary Of Kings and Paintings\, which explores the visual culture of Qajar Iran and is widely used by museums\, libraries\, and universities. \nHis latest film\, Performing Beauty | سماع قلم\, examines the story\, aesthetics\, and contemporary life of Persian Nasta’liq calligraphy. \n\nPraise for Performing Beauty\n“A visually meditative experience.” – Video Librarian \n“The art form as actively negotiated.” – EMRO \n  \nFree and open to all. \nPlease note\, this event is in-person only and will not be available online.
URL:https://royalasiaticsociety.org/lectures-event/performing-beauty-film-screening/
LOCATION:Royal Asiatic Society Lecture Theatre\, 14 Stephenson Way\, London\, NW1 2HD\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:RAS Lectures & Events
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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20261029T183000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20261029T200000
DTSTAMP:20260916T085242Z
CREATED:20260916T085242Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260916T085242Z
UID:25449-1793298600-1793304000@royalasiaticsociety.org
SUMMARY:Book Launch: The Art of Drinking Chocolate: Coconut Cups and Other Marvels from the New World
DESCRIPTION:About The Book\nJoin us for the launch of the new book The Art of Drinking Chocolate: Coconut Cups and Other Marvels from the New World\, published by Oxbow Books in September. This richly illustrated journey into the history of chocolate explores a fascinating and largely forgotten aspect of the ritual of drinking it: the use of coconuts and gourds\, often mounted in silver\, as luxurious drinking vessels. This tradition emerged in the Americas in the sixteenth century and endured for more than four centuries\, bringing together Indigenous practices\, Asian materials\, European craftsmanship and changing ideas about luxury and consumption. \nThe presentation will also uncover the remarkable cultural history of the coconut\, a fruit prized for its extraordinary versatility\, providing water and food as well as fibre for rope\, fuel and natural vessels for drinking. Despite its strong association with the Caribbean today\, the coconut was introduced to parts of the Americas from the Philippines in the sixteenth century\, becoming part of a remarkable story of trans-Pacific exchange. We will discover the extraordinary beliefs and stories of coconuts\, and their magical properties. Such ideas shaped the ways in which coconut-shell chocolate cups were understood\, used and valued. Some were believed to protect their owners against poison or to possess prophylactic and magical powers. \nThe event will surely deliver lively exploration of the intersections between food history\, material culture\, global trade\, ritual and belief at the dawn of the early modern “Age of Wonders”. Following these remarkable objects across oceans and cultures reveals complex histories of exchange between Asia\, the Americas and Europe\, while illuminating changing attitudes towards luxury\, consumption\, magic and the natural world.
URL:https://royalasiaticsociety.org/lectures-event/book-launch-the-art-of-drinking-chocolate-coconut-cups-and-other-marvels-from-the-new-world/
CATEGORIES:Book Launch,RAS Lectures & Events
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