A few days prior to the introduction of the first assignment, I was doing a quick scan on Google for any nearby mosques (it was a Friday) and I was met with this curious suggestion:
The name struck me as amusingly utilitarian yet nondescript, equivalent to something along the lines of “German Butcher Shop”, but it serves its purpose. Ultimately, I didn’t end up visiting that Friday (there were no prayer times noted online) but once handed the assignment brief, I thought it would be quite interesting to explore this space for the investigation, especially considering my own personal experience/connection with such spaces, being a member of the Muslim community. I thought it would a way to challenge myself to see a prayer room in a different light, despite the fact that the only way to engage with or experience it is through the rituals it facilitates.
My first visit to “Islamic Prayer Room” revealed that the name was actually quite fitting. Had I not Googled it beforehand, I’d have never imagined there to be a small community prayer room nestled one storey above a Nando’s and tucked within the property of “Kensington Car Service” – a car rental agency that funnily enough, doesn’t seem to be listed on Google Maps.
Stepping in off the street, one is met with two flights of stairs, split by a landing and covered with red carpets. At the end of a corridor, I was met with what I feel is the most distinctive marker of the space:
Again, like the name, I suppose I see the humour in this because of my personal connection to such spaces: necessarily makeshift to carve out a space for oneself/one’s community.
It was a random hour in the early afternoon, before the first daytime prayer, so the room was empty and I was able to snap a few pictures, which I had made a note to myself that I wouldn’t normally, out of respect for the space. (Also, taking a bunch of photos after prayer is kind of, weird.) The dominating feature are the two rows of prayer rugs, differing in colours, wear & tear, and patterns. They offer quite a contrast to the dark grey carpeted flooring that covers the room. Other notable items included are a number of shelves stocked with Qur’ans, three small perfume bottles, a digital wall clock indicating the prayer times, some mysterious black cloaks hung on hooks on the wall, a now defunct fireplace with more Qur’ans and books on its mantelpiece, along with a couple of vacuum cleaners, chairs and other various maintenance related items.
Hi, this is a comment.
To get started with moderating, editing, and deleting comments, please visit the Comments screen in the dashboard.
Commenter avatars come from Gravatar.