Sindhi Sufi Music Photographic Exhibition in a London Museum

[Gul Agha <agha@CS.UIUC.EDU>]

See images and complete story at:
http://www.24hourmuseum.org.uk/exh_gfx_en/ART24435.html

The images on the website of some of the photographs at the Horniman
Museum exhibit are:

   A photograph of a Sindhi Sufi musician's face. His long moustache
   and beard are orange as is his long hair, which flows out behind
   him.

   Ghunghrus are metal bells which are tied around the
   ankles to make dance steps more audible. They are used primarily
   for athak, the dance of the storytellers.

   A Sufi musician playing a Soruz. The instrument is rather like a
   violin but is played upright.

   A Yogi charming a snake which is rearing up in front of them,
   facing away from the camera.  Yogi in Umarkot (Sindh)

   Musician at a shrine...


THE HORNIMAN MUSEUM GETS INTO THE SPIRIT OF SUFI MUSIC
    12/10/2004

A stunning photographic exhibition currently on show in south London
explores the traditions of Sufi musicians on their journey of
spiritual growth towards divine union.

The Spirit of Sufi Music: Troubadours of Allah is an inspiring
showcase of 40 colour images and is on display in the Horniman
Museum's Balcony Gallery until February 27 2005.

On show in Britain for the first time, the exhibition explores and
evokes the mystical movement of Sufism; a religious movement that
encourages followers to have a direct communion with God through
music, poetry and dance.

Taken by highly acclaimed German photojournalist Horst A. Friedrichs
over a period of two years, the collection of images captures the
Indus Valley, Sindh - the southernmost province of Pakistan.

In this corner of the subcontinent there are numerous holy shrines to
Sufi saints, where pilgrims flock to holy festivals and musicians
create a devotional soundtrack.

Raised and educated in Frankfurt, Horst A. Friedrichs studied
photography in Munich before launching a freelance career working for
magazines such as Stern, Spiegel, the New York Times and the
Independent Magazine.

Now a London resident, he explained how he came to his study of Sufism
with no pre-conceived ideas of what it was.

"I was unfamiliar with the concept of Sufism before I embarked on the
project but when I first arrived in [Sindh] Pakistan, I knew it would
change my life," he said.

"The Sufis I met and photographed were kind, wise people who strive to
be closer to Allah through their poetry and music. The experience
really touched me and I hope that comes through in my pictures."

Originating in the mighty Indus Valley in the 13th century, the term
Sufi is an honorary title in the Islamic world.

It is awarded to mystics who endeavour to achieve further spiritual
consciousness for themselves and others by promoting a message of
unity for humankind.

Horniman Museum & Gardens, 100 London Road, Forest Hill, London, SE23
3PQ, England
T: 020 8699 1872
Open: Open daily: 1030-1730