Oxford Street installation uses calls to prayer to address Islamophobia

Near Oxford Street in central London, artist and composer Joe Namy has installed Cosmic Breath, a multi-channel artwork built from recordings of the Islamic call to prayer. At Ibraaz’s Musalla, a space for spiritual practice and creative expression, horn speakers play calls from different places and periods.

Namy says the London setting gives the work added meaning as he sees Islamophobia, xenophobia and prejudice increasing. He described the installation as a place where people can “come, relax” and explore spirituality in an art setting. His assessment is his own; the installation does not make a claim about the scale of hostility in the capital.

The piece was first commissioned for the Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah in 2023. Bringing it to London, Namy said, changes how it is understood, placing the sound of the adhan in a different political and social context.

What visitors will hear

The recordings include calls from several countries, with each speaker softly playing a different one. At prayer times, the volume rises so the calls can be heard throughout the room. Namy’s work explores how the sound of the adhan varies with local traditions, voices and recording technologies.

One recording connects the installation directly to London: a public adhan by the Waltham Forest Islamic Association in 2020. It was made in Walthamstow during COVID-19 social distancing, when the call was broadcast to help people feel connected while apart.

How the idea began

Namy has said the work grew from thinking about the fact that a call to prayer is happening somewhere in the world at any moment. It also draws on his interest in how sound can shape shared experience and public space.

A further starting point came during the 2020 lockdowns in Durban, South Africa, according to Namy. After authorities banned public broadcasts of the adhan, a Hindu community member organised an interfaith protest in solidarity with Muslims, using car radios to play the call as residents drove through the streets. Namy has not announced how long Cosmic Breath will be at Ibraaz’s Musalla.

This report draws on information from Anadolu and en.yenisafak.com.