From Water, Every Living Thing

Leighton House presents From Water, Every Living Thing, a new site-specific video installation by London-born artist Soraya Syed, as part of the museum’s interdisciplinary project The Arab Hall: Past and Present. On display from 31 July to 4 October 2026, this new commission transforms the Hall's historic fountain into a living work where moving calligraphy, projection, water and sound come together in dialogue with one of Britain's most extraordinary interiors.

Created by Victorian artist Frederic Leighton (1830-1896) following extensive travels across North Africa and the Middle East, the Arab Hall was conceived as a spectacular extension to his Kensington studio-house – a blend of Islamic, Mediterranean and Victorian craft traditions, the centrepiece of which is the collection of antique tiles from Damascus, Turkey and Iran which line its walls. Rather than introducing a new object into this remarkable space, Syed's work activates its architectural heart, allowing the fountain itself to become both artwork and medium, inspired by the Hall's inscriptions, stained-glass windows and celebrated tilework. Taking its title from the Qur'anic verse, "From water We made every living thing", the three-minute projected video explores the universal symbolism of water as a source of life, renewal and connection.

The letters Kāf Hā Yā ʿAyn Ṣād, inscribed within the Arab Hall's stained-glass windows, emerge across the water. They draw upon the Hizb al-Bahr (The Litany of the Sea), a celebrated devotional text traditionally recited for protection. Originally composed for travellers undertaking sea voyages, it has, over the centuries, become a prayer recited widely in times of uncertainty and need. The piece will unfold as visitors linger and explore the space, sensitively responding to the hall’s acoustics and atmosphere to create a moment to pause and reflect.

Syed is the first Briton to be awarded an icazetname, a traditional licence certifying mastery in Islamic calligraphy.

WATCH SORAYA'S TRAILER

Where: Leighton House,London W14 8LZ

When: 31 July - 4 October 2026

Tickets: Adult Summer Savings: £12.25, Conc £8.75, Child £5.25, Under 6 Free

Opening Times: Wednesdays to Mondays, 10am – 5:30pm. The museum is closed on Tuesdays

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