Hurriyah, meaning ‘freedom’ in Arabic, is a calligraphic animation.

Inspiral Design created the striking exhibition design, marketing material and flipbook for the exhibited calligraphic animation Hurriyah, by Soraya Syed, Art of the Pen. Shown at Leighton House Museum in 2013, the animated illustration was accompanied by a contemporary dance performance by Salah El Brogy set to music by Nitin Sawhney with video design by Yeast Culture.

Hurriyah (or freedom in Arabic) personified, explores the visual and literal power of words – she begins her journey as a dot and blossoms into a boat’s sail billowing in the wind against prevailing gales before gracefully returning to a simple dot form. The flipbook design is a print-based expression of the calligraphic development of the narrative. Her end signifies a new beginning; for this reason the flipbook functions in both directions, front to back and back to front.