Photographer Khalil Mitchell is behind a new touring exhibition capturing community life in Norwich’s Ihsan Mosque. Folk Features went along to the preview at the Museum of Norwich
Khalil Mitchell became Muslim a 22 years ago and, soon after moving to Norwich to be part of the established community in the city, he embraced a desire to show the world this dynamic community through photography. The result is new, touring exhibition, Muslims: Norwich, which opens next week, showcasing a series of stunning photographs of the vibrant and diverse community based at The Ihsan Mosque, in Chapelfield, Norwich, home to one of the longest-standing British Muslim communities in the UK.
‘When I arrived in the community about 20 years ago, I realised there was something quite special here,’ says Khalil. ‘There were people who could identify as indigenous European Muslims and there was a type of teaching of a very high calibre. I’ve picked up a massive amount of understanding about Islam I simply didn’t have prior to when I moved here. I’d been a Muslim for about a year and a half before coming to Norwich.’
The exhibition opens to the public at The Museum of Norwich on Tuesday 11June 2024, and will then travel around local libraries, popping up in Earlham Library on 2July, Wymondham Library on 9September and North Walsham Library on 25September.
This small, touring exhibition has been developed in a partnership between Khalil, Norfolk Library & Information Service (NLIS) and Norfolk Museums Service (NMS) and has been generously funded by the Norwich Freemen’s Charity.
The idea for an exhibition took seed at calligraphy sessions held in Norfolk Libraries in 2019, which inspired cultural conversations around Islam and the lives of Muslims in Norfolk today. These events were attended by members of the local Muslim community, including Khalil, who came along to photograph the event. From this, the idea for a photographic exhibition developed.
The COVID 19 pandemic ended plans for a physical exhibition, but Community Librarian Maria Pavledis continued to work with Khalil to develop an online photographic exhibition, which was hosted online as part of Black History Month 2020. This attracted a great deal of media interest and was featured by the BBC. Interest in the exhibition caught the public’s imagination and coverage went viral and international.
During the pandemic, members at the Ihsan Mosque continued their charitable work creating a soup kitchen during Ramadan, delivering to self-isolating households, and supporting small businesses through the establishment of the regular Norwich Free Market, to help people recover from the effects of lockdown. These efforts were commended with a ‘Point of Light Award’ by then Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Khalil was there to record the life of the community at this time with photographs capturing occasions such as outdoor worship or a socially distanced visit to Mousehold Heath to watch the moonrise.
Since the pandemic, Maria Pavledis, Community Librarian, NLIS, and Hannah Henderson, Curator of Community History at the Museum of Norwich, NMS, have been working together with Khalil to develop a small touring exhibition, comprising of around 30 photographs. It is intended that the exhibition will then become an online archive as part of Picture Norfolk, Norfolk County Council’s online photographic collection, with potential for touring to other venues.
Khalil began taking photographs, initially through cameras on whichever mobile phone he was using – and sharing them on Facebook, and later with his first DSLR, a Fujifilm X100s. However, the aim of each photo has always been the same: ‘I have always hoped it was going to be the ultimate photograph to show people Muslims and Islam. The aspect of Muslim life that I hope I have encapsulated in my photos is that something bigger exists, that there is a means to connect with that bigger thing. People do not know we are here half of the time. We don’t look like the typical Muslims. With my work, I hope it is possible that people’s hearts can be moved through photography.’
There was no issue around Khalil taking photographs inside the Mosque. ‘I know all the people you see in these photos. We are a community and that’s enabled me to be part of the fabric of that and record it – you couldn’t be an outsider walking in to take these photos – it just would not have worked in the same way. Even during the Friday Sermon I could sit there and put my camera on silent and take photos. There wouldn’t be any suspicion or unfamiliarity. People are completely familiar with me, and my camera, and it was over a period of years. All these images are the best of the things that have happened over the years.’
Maria and Hannah add: ‘The exhibition of these unique photographs has developed from creative conversations with members of the Ihsan Mosque and has evolved organically at a significant moment in time. They capture the spirit and essence of this diverse community in Norfolk during and after the pandemic.’
Muslims: Norwich, Photographs from the Ihsan Mosque by Khalil Mitchell, opens at the Museum of Norwich on Tuesday June 11. Follow @khalilcmitchell on Instagram and visit Libraries – Norfolk County Council and Museum of Norwich – Norfolk Museums Service.
Exhibition details:
June 11 – 29, Museum of Norwich, Bridewell Alley, Norwich, NR2 1AQ
July 2 – 22, Earlham Library
September 9 – 20, Wymondham Library
September 25 – October 16, North Walsham Library
The exhibition is included in the admission price to the museum and will be free in libraries. Normal opening times apply. The Museum of Norwich is open Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 16.30pm. A programme of related talks and events will be announced nearer the time.
(Featured image of Khalil Mitchell by Peter Sanders)
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