Media Release – Step Into a World of Colourful Light this Winter: Zarah Hussain’s Immersive Art Experience opens at The Art House

Step Into a World of Colourful Light this Winter: Zarah Hussain’s Immersive Art Experience opens at The Art House.

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This winter, The Art House invites you to experience Paradise Carpet, a stunning new art exhibition by celebrated artist Zarah Hussain. Opening on 15 November 2024, this captivating installation welcomes visitors to step onto a moving carpet of light, blending intricate patterns with the calming influence of colour, sound, and culture.

More than just an exciting visual experience, Paradise Carpet is a space for reflection, connection, and community. The installation features a dynamic and ever-changing floor of projected patterns, which fill the gallery space with soft, coloured light.

Visitors can walk, sit, pray, or meditate on the digitally woven ‘carpet’, as ambient soundscapes fill the space, creating a sensory experience designed to calm the mind and foster contemplation. A fusion of geometry, spirituality, and technology, Paradise Carpet immerses visitors in a dynamic tapestry of bold, colourful light.

Hussain, a child of Kashmiri immigrants who grew up in the north of England, has long been fascinated by how Islamic art has both shaped and absorbed global ideas and practices. Drawing on personal experience and her research into global influences of textiles, the installation weaves together the rich history of Islamic carpets with cutting-edge digital art, creating a space where tradition and innovation meet.

The installation is also complemented by a series of Hussain’s colourful wall sculptures and bold paintings. A large-scale light mural can also be enjoyed, visible from outside the gallery, adding a touch of illumination to the darkened streets of Wakefield during the winter months.

Through a combination of digital technology and community collaboration, Paradise Carpet embodies a celebration of movement, migration, and cross-cultural connection. It is a reminder of our shared humanity and the interconnectedness of cultures, both past and present.

For this project, Hussain worked closely with the local community and first-year students at the Academy of Live Technology, at Production Park in Wakefield, to help design and bring the work to life.

Every detail invites visitors to consider themes of community cohesion, cultural understanding, and the need for inclusive spaces in today’s divisive world. The installation offers a visual and spiritual reminder of how art and creativity can unite people by turning the gallery into a sanctuary for collective reflection.

In celebration of the opening, during Wakefield’s Light Up festival weekend, visitors can drop in at The Art House for a series of free events. On Friday 15 and Saturday 16 November, from 4-8pm, visitors can take part in lantern-making workshops, glow-in-the-dark activities, and try their hand at Neon Henna painting, as well as enjoy seasonal treats in the festive Makers Wonderland. The Art House will also be open on Sunday 17 November between 12-7pm and host more lantern-making workshops from 3pm.

Paradise Carpet: from 15 November 2024-22 February 2025 at The Art House, Wakefield. Open Tuesday-Saturday, 9.30am-4pm. Admission is free.