Watch party and hands-on workshop led by Egyptian artist Mariam Ashraf on carving gypsum plaster windows, in collaboration with Islamic Art Week.
Mariam Ashraf is leading a gypsum plaster carving workshop at V&A South Kensington on Thursday 19 November, part of Islamic Art Week. The session runs from 13.30 to 17.15, and it's built around the craft of carving gypsum plaster to make windows set with coloured glass — an architectural feature found across Middle Eastern countries from Egypt to Iran, with designs that range from geometric strapwork to calligraphy and floral compositions.
It's a three-part afternoon. It kicks off with a Watch Party where Ashraf demonstrates the craft, livestreamed to the global Islamic Art Week audience. From there, the group heads to The Jameel Gallery for the Islamic Middle East to see the windows on display with curator Mariam Rosser-Owen, so you can get a proper look at the finished work before you pick up a tool yourself. The final part is the hands-on session, where everyone carves a small plaster tile to take home.
Ashraf is an Egyptian artist reviving traditional gypsum carving. She graduated from the Jameel House of Traditional Arts in Cairo in 2022, completed an MA in Traditional Arts at The King's Foundation School of Traditional Arts in London in 2026, and was selected for The King's Foundation's 35 Under 35 initiative in 2025. The workshop is staged in collaboration with Islamic Art Week.
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It runs from 13.30 to 17.15 at V&A South Kensington, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 2RL, and costs between £35 and £50.
