FILMMAKERS TO KNOW: AISHA AMIN
AISHA AMIN
Aisha Amin is an NYC-based artist and filmmaker born in Nairobi, Kenya of Pakistani descent. Aisha’s work explores and highlights overlooked communities including those struggling with the presence of gentrification in their neighborhood. The Earth Has Been Made a Place of Prayer, is her most recent immersive installation for The Shed’s Open Call exhibition which invites you into Masjid At-Taqwa, a historic Brooklyn mosque in Bed-Stuy.
SHEER: Tell us a little bit about yourself.
AISHA AMIN: I’m an artist and filmmaker who is curious about the history and importance of communities in my city. I was born in Nairobi, Kenya and when I was two years old, my parents moved to New York where they raised me and my two older brothers. Ethnically, my family is from Pakistan and I’m a first generation American immigrant.
SHEER: How do you believe your cultural upbringing influenced you becoming an artist and how you express your work?
AA: I didn’t have just one sole cultural upbringing. Rather, my parents raised me in a way that was multidimensional and multifaceted. While living in America, I was aware of my Pakistani heritage and culture, but at the same time geographically removed from it so I could step back and examine it from afar. I feel the same way about American culture. Being a naturalized citizen, or rather someone who was not born here and does not have ethnic ties to this land, I feel I am able to step back and examine American culture and traditions from a place of observation. I think living in this gray area allowed me to want to be naturally curious about how people like me find and build community in places they don’t have solid ties to. Where does that need for human interaction and yearning for togetherness come from? From very early on, I felt film and visual art spoke to this very innate curiosity I had and that’s why I began pursuing it.
SHEER: What drew you to hybrid documentaries vs. a more traditional approach and how do you apply this style to your work?
AA: I think first and foremost my goal with filmmaking and visual art is to be open, true and honest to the people I am portraying on the other side of the camera. I start from a place of filming with an intention of finding and portraying truth and real lived experience. From that perspective, whatever form or genre the art takes is sort of irrelevant. Sometimes, traditional documentary serves my purpose to a greater degree. Sometimes, moving towards the more narrative and fictitious art form can be a more effective tool in truth-telling. I often start with a clear intention, and then move to thinking about what kind of genre of storytelling will move me closest to that.
“Being a naturalized citizen, or rather someone who was not born here and does not have ethnic ties to this land, I feel I am able to step back and examine American culture and traditions from a place of observation. I think living in this gray area allowed me to want to be naturally curious about how people like me find and build community in places they don’t have solid ties to.”
SHEER: When did you first encounter the historic Masjid At-Taqwa and how much of an impact does it have in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn?
AA: I first encountered Masjid At-Taqwa in 2019, when I was researching storefront religious spaces in New York City. I was drawn to how physical space in New York can be converted and used for different purposes over time. I was naturally drawn to mosques because I’m Muslim-American, and for me, they are a familiar and safe space. Mosques are also a really important physical, or sanctuary space for Muslim immigrants in New York City. As I began learning more and more about the history of these spaces, I stumbled across Masjid At-Taqwa in my research. As I entered the block the building is housed on, I witnessed a transformation. I saw a standard coffee shop, but next to it was a store that sold prayer mats. Next to that was a store that sold traditional bean pies. Next to that was another store that sold Qurans and prayer beads. Then across the street sits this massive building that folks stream in and out of several times a day. The existence of that building and the community within it are the reason that street is so unique and has been transformed to serve the Muslim community in Brooklyn. The reality of that impact really drew me to want to learn more about Masjid At-Taqwa.
“Masjid At-Taqwa is a 40-year old institution whose very existence is an example of resistance to gentrification. It not only has maintained its place in the neighborhood, but it has entirely changed Bedford ave and plans on building 5 more floors to serve hundreds of more religious observers. The building’s seemingly permanent and grand presence in Bed Stuy is a testament to community resilience and that’s what makes it such an incredible space. My installation is an attempt to pay homage to that resilience. ”
SHEER: Your Open Call installation at The Shed, The Earth Has Been Made a Place of Prayer, made me feel as though I was being transported to Masjid At-Taqwa and I could feel the sacredness and importance of this institution through your work. How did you creatively navigate reconstructing your original documentary on the mosque into this immersive experience?
AA: Thank you for saying that. That was the intention behind the project - to transport the feeling of being in the mosque rather than just rebuilding the space. Reconstructing the original film ‘Friday’ was definitely challenging and editing for installation work is an art practice in itself. It involves considering architecture, sound, how viewers are going to interact with the space, and then finally how the visuals communicate with each other all at once. I spent a lot of time watching then rewatching the original documentary with the intention of finding moments that could be expanded upon. This ranged from a man sitting with his prayer beads, to a security guard scanning the room. Both these images on their own were evocative enough and spoke to each other. Because of the nature of the installation (being a 4-screen and 360 degree experience) it was important to choose moments from the film that would make the viewer feel as though if they looked at one screen, they would understand what the entire right side of the room looked and felt like, and if they looked at another screen, they would feel they understood what the left side of the room looked and felt like. Working and editing video with this approach required a lot more attentiveness and care on my part and it really made me appreciate the film in a new light.
Aisha Amin, "The Earth Has Been Made a Place of Prayer", 2021. Digital video, color, sound, 6 min., 42 sec., Islamic prayer mats. Commissioned by The Shed.
SHEER: What are some systemic barriers in your local community that your art highlights and aims to address?
AA: As a New Yorker, I have grown up watching this city change block by block. Historic institutions have shut their doors only to be replaced by chains or large apartment complexes. What stands out to me most is how unbelievably difficult it is to retain and maintain a physical space in this city without the threat of rent increases, gentrification and being pushed out of your own neighborhood. There is this constant cycle of displacement and replacement that consistently affects low income and immigrant residents in New York.
Masjid At-Taqwa is a 40-year old institution whose very existence is an example of resistance to gentrification. It not only has maintained its place in the neighborhood, but it has entirely changed Bedford ave and plans on building 5 more floors to serve hundreds of more religious observers. The building’s seemingly permanent and grand presence in Bed Stuy is a testament to community resilience and that’s what makes it such an incredible space. My installation is an attempt to pay homage to that resilience.
“The main thing I want people to walk away with is an understanding of how important community is for people whose identity is other than the privileged majority. It’s within community and interaction with other human beings that we find meaning, love and resilience that carries us outside of hardship. ”
SHEER: How do you approach finding inspiration in your everyday life?
AA: Inspiration for me usually stems from the people and things I interact with on a daily basis. This includes my closest friends, my family, the shops in my neighborhood I go to every week, the interactions I watch that happen outside my apartment building. It’s little things within my small circle of living that I tend to find curiosity and inspiration from.
Outside of that, I spend a lot of time watching. Whether that be films, art, groups of people or the weather. I feel very strongly that if I were to sit down for 30 minutes and watch something unfold in front of me without any distractions, I’d have a thousand questions and ideas pouring out of me.
SHEER: What do you hope people take away from viewing and interacting with your art?
AA: The main thing I want people to walk away with is an understanding of how important community is for people whose identity is other than the privileged majority. It’s within community and interaction with other human beings that we find meaning, love and resilience that carries us outside of hardship. There is nothing more important than community. That’s something that has become abundantly clear to me while creating this project throughout the pandemic.
