Is Islam something new in Vienna? Not at all. Muslims have lived, worked, and traded in Vienna for hundreds of years. It is easy to find traces of this presence in the Wien Museum’s collection. In this seminar, we will explore connections between the Islamic world and Vienna, focusing on objects on display in the museum's permanent exhibit.
In the first session, we will gather at the Wien Museum to examine objects collected because of a long-standing fascination with, what was long called, the "Orient." In the second meeting, we will search for traces of Islamic heritage in present-day Vienna's public spaces. In our final session, we will put what we learned about the aesthetics of Islamic heritage into action, creating our own work of art inspired by calligraphy, arabesque, and other aspects of Islamic visual culture.
Islamic Heritage in Vienna:
1 – August 22, 2024, 5pm-7pm
2 – August 29, 2024, 5pm-7pm
3 – September 5, 2024, 5pm-7pm
Note The three sessions of the Summer Academy “Islamic Heritage in Vienna” can only be booked together
Duration Three sessions of appr. 2 hours each
Guides Zeinab Abdelhamed, Lukas Sperlich and Sarah Pichlkastner
Costs € 30
Meeting Point 1st Session in the foyer approx. 5 minutes before the start
How to get here
Image: Leather shield, Ottoman, 2nd half of the 17th century, Photo: Timtom, Wien Museum