Cosmic Breath installation counters Islamophobia in central London

Sonic sanctuary opens near Oxford Street

Lebanese-American artist Joe Namy has installed a multi-channel sound work steps from London's Oxford Street where horn speakers emit recordings of the Islamic call to prayer, creating a spiritual refuge that the composer says counters rising Islamophobia in Britain. The installation, titled Cosmic Breath, is currently housed at Ibraaz's Musalla — a venue dedicated to spiritual practice as creative expression — and features historical and contemporary adhan recordings amplified through minaret-style speakers that fill the room with a congregation of voices at prayer times.

Namy first developed the piece for the Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah in 2023, but he said bringing it to London reshapes its meaning dramatically given the current social atmosphere. "Especially now today in the current kind of political climate here in London... there's just a more heightened kind of Islamophobia, xenophobia, prejudice... all these things that we've been experiencing and has been increasing," he said. "I feel like it's a more powerful gesture to be able to show it here in the center of London, you know, just off of Oxford Street, and to be able to have this space for people to be able to come, relax," Namy added, noting that the work provides a rare opportunity to explore spirituality within contemporary art spaces.

Global recordings span centuries

The audio selections in Cosmic Breath span more than a century and cross vast acoustic terrains, revealing how each call carries a unique character shaped by local traditions and regional histories. Among the archival highlights is what is considered the first recording of the adhan at the Haram Mosque in Mecca, dating back to the late 19th century, alongside the first adhan recorded in the Philippines from the 1950s and a call from Singapore's Sultan Mosque — thought to be the first mosque to adopt loudspeakers in the 1930s. The installation also features a local recording from London's Waltham Forest Islamic Association, captured in 2020 when the community broadcast the call publicly during COVID-19 lockdowns as a way to foster connection while social distancing.

Other selections include an unamplified, old-school recitation from the Sahrawi refugee camp in Algeria, a deeply personal recording of someone reciting into a forest in Japan, and a call from Khartoum that highlights Sudanese colloquial style. "This one is Georgia Tbilisi, and this one is probably the most flowery, I think. You really hear the improvisation and the embellishments and how the voice gets extended in the recitation," Namy noted, contrasting it with the stripped-back Algerian recording where the voice stands alone without speakers.

Origins in South African solidarity

The initial impulse for Cosmic Breath traces back to a pivotal moment of civic resistance in Durban, South Africa, during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns when authorities banned the public broadcast of the adhan amid rising Islamophobia. In response, a Hindu community member organized an interfaith protest in solidarity with Muslims, asking residents to tune their car stereos to a channel broadcasting the adhan and drive through the streets in a parade that circumvented social distancing restrictions. "This protest was actually organized by a Hindu community member. He wasn't Muslim, but he organized this protest in solidarity with the Muslim community there," Namy said.

Namy said he was moved by the idea that "at any moment in time on Earth, there is an adhan happening somewhere on this planet, which I think is such a really powerful and beautiful gesture." The London installation continues this exploration of collective auditory experiences, offering a space where spirituality intersects with contemporary art in the heart of one of Europe's busiest commercial districts.