Cosmic Breath Brings Global Calls to Prayer to London Amid Rising Islamophobia
LONDON, October 17, 2026 — A new sound installation in central London is using the Islamic call to prayer to explore faith, community and resistance amid growing concerns over anti-Muslim sentiment.
Created by American-born Lebanese artist and composer Joe Namy, Cosmic Breath brings together historical and contemporary recordings of the adhan from locations around the world. The installation is presented at Ibraaz’s Musalla, a space dedicated to spiritual practice and artistic expression, near Oxford Street.
The artwork features horn speakers similar to those traditionally mounted on mosque minarets. Each plays a different recording of the call to prayer, encouraging visitors to listen closely. During prayer times, the volume rises, allowing the different calls to fill the space simultaneously.
The installation was initially commissioned for the Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah in 2023 by its artistic director and architect, Sumayya Vally, who also worked with Namy on its spatial design.
Namy said his work examines the political and spiritual dimensions of sound, including how shared listening experiences influence communities and public spaces.
The idea behind Cosmic Breath emerged from the realisation that somewhere in the world, the adhan is being recited at virtually any moment. The installation explores how this longstanding oral tradition has evolved through recording technology and amplified sound.
London Exhibition Takes on New Meaning
Namy said presenting the installation in London gives it a different significance from its original exhibition in Jeddah.
He pointed to what he described as increasing Islamophobia, xenophobia and prejudice in the British capital, saying the artwork could offer visitors a place to pause, reflect and connect with spirituality.
For the artist, displaying the installation near one of London’s busiest shopping streets creates an opportunity to explore faith more openly in a contemporary art setting. He also sees the space as a meeting point where people can engage with spiritual ideas and experiences.
The London edition includes a recording of a public adhan performed by the Waltham Forest Islamic Association in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Namy said the recording was important because it connected the international installation to its immediate surroundings. At a time when social distancing prevented people from gathering normally, the public call to prayer helped maintain a sense of community despite physical separation.
Recordings Connect Mecca Jerusalem Singapore and Beyond
Cosmic Breath brings together recordings spanning more than a century, reflecting the different vocal styles, local customs and historical circumstances associated with the adhan.
Among the recordings is an early version from the Haram Mosque in Mecca, dating to the late 19th century. Although the audio quality is limited by the technology of the period, Namy said its historical significance becomes clearer when heard alongside more recent recordings.
The installation also features an archival recording from the Philippines dating to the 1950s, alongside calls to prayer from Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque and Singapore’s Sultan Mosque.
The Singapore recording is particularly notable because the mosque is believed to have been among the first to use loudspeakers to amplify the adhan during the 1930s.
Other selections highlight the distinctive ways the call is performed across different communities. A recording from Tbilisi, Georgia, features elaborate vocal embellishments and improvisation, while another from a Sahrawi refugee camp in Algeria captures an unamplified recitation delivered solely through the human voice.
A recording from Japan similarly presents a personal, intimate recitation in a forest setting. Meanwhile, a call recorded in Khartoum, Sudan, demonstrates the distinctive pronunciation and regional style associated with the area.
Namy also described an attempt to document the first mosque built in South America, located in Brazil. Because the mosque does not regularly host the adhan outside special occasions, the team recorded the empty interior instead. That recording, along with some seaside recordings made in Egypt, was ultimately not included in the released installation.
Interfaith Protest in South Africa Inspired the Project
The origins of Cosmic Breath can be traced to an act of interfaith solidarity in Durban, South Africa, during the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020.
At the time, tensions involving Islamophobia and xenophobia contributed to restrictions on publicly broadcasting the adhan. In response, a member of the Hindu community organised a protest in support of local Muslims.
Because lockdown rules prevented large gatherings, participants used their cars to stage a procession. Drivers tuned their car stereos to a radio channel carrying the call to prayer, creating a collective sound that travelled through the streets.
Namy said Vally shared information about the protest with him, prompting him to consider how sound could bring people together even when physical gatherings were restricted.
Recordings from the event became a starting point for the wider installation, inspiring the artist to combine calls to prayer from different places and periods.
Through Cosmic Breath, Namy explores how sound can express identity, preserve cultural memory and become a form of peaceful resistance when religious expression faces restrictions.
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