Ibn Sina and Avicennia

Abū ʿAlī al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAbdillāh ibn al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī ibn Sīnā was a Persian polymath of the Islamic Golden Age who is known as Ibn Sina, and in the West, as Avicenna.     A thousand years ago he promoted the use of The Forty (quarantine days) as a way of limiting the spread of disease.

This last year has seen disease sweep the world and once again, quarantine is used to limit its spread. A thousand years later, it is still the most effective control.

In these images, Avicennia (mangrove) seedlings and impressions of an open book honour Ibn Sina. Their likenesses float across the walls of an empty room and heighten a sense of separation from the outside world.  

Sitting in the intimate space of a lonely room and staring at the wall, quarantine is a profound experience that connects us all.   

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Group exhibition: What is Kalos? MerakiArtists November 2020. A HeadOn Photo Festival associate exhibition at TAP Gallery - print version.