During his Diamond Jubilee visit to Houston, on Navroz, March 21, 2018, Mawlana Hazar Imam was shown the One Jamat Mosaic by President Barkat Fazal. The mosaic consisted of thousands of individual photographs, composed into a single, cohesive work of art.
The One Jamat Mosaic was created by Ismaili artists with backgrounds in calligraphy, graphic design, and architecture. It contains images that captured the excitement and anticipation of members of the USA Jamat, expressed during the Diamond Jubilee year leading up to Hazar Imam's USA Visit.
The idea originated as a way to have the US Jamat come together and be reflected in an artistic piece. The artwork depicts the phrase, "Ya Ali", in Arabic calligraphy. This is meant as both a greeting and as a dhikr (remembrance), in the hearts of the Jamat. The calligraphy is placed within a geometric design, and the mosaic is framed by accents of the Diamond Jubilee motif.
Approximately 5,100 photos are incorporated into the large 15-foot mosaic.
“When conceptualizing this project, we wanted to capture the energy of the Jamat by taking submissions directly from them and using it to create something where the whole was greater than the sum of its parts,” said Minhas Wasaya of Houston, who led the team that conceived the idea.
Zain Momin-Lakhani of Dallas, who was instrumental in creating the mosaic, remarked, "Putting this project together was a multi-disciplinary effort with sketch and calligraphy artists working closely with digital artists, architects, and amazingly talented woodworkers, to produce a beautiful piece of art.”
A mosaic is made of small, individual pieces but it is true beauty is realized only when all of those pieces come together to make a whole, best seen at a distance. Indeed, the Jamat was intrigued by the final product, viewing it at a distance and poring over individual images, attempting to recognize those they knew, and even themselves.
The mosaic of our Ismaili community is no different. Today, in the United States and around the world, each individual member of the Jamat understands the notion of One Jamat, inspiring the community to realize Hazar Imam’s vision for a united global Jamat, serving others, and reflecting the ethics of our faith.
