Event Information
15 May 2026 and 30 July 2026
From 5:30 to 8:30pm
Leighton House
About the evening
Experience the historic house after dark and be amongst the first to see the new contemporary artist installations in the Arab Hall.
Part of The Arab Hall: Past and Present - a series of consecutive installations in the Arab Hall itself offer new perspectives on the space.
- Atlas of An Entangled Gaze by Ramzi Mallat (21 March to 14 May)
- Facets in Resonance by Kamilah Ahmed (15 May to 30 July)
- From Water, Every Living Thing by Soraya Syed (31 July to 4 October).
The Arab Hall: After-Hours
Friday 15 May, 5:30-8:30pm - Kamilah Ahmed, Facets in Resonance
British Bangladeshi artist Kamilah Ahmed presents Facets in Resonance, a mixed-media embroidered textile arch, which will sit over the fountain in the Arab Hall, framing a new view on the space. Referencing traditional Islamic crafts and decorative arts, including Damascene tiles, Iznik patterns, stained glass, gold mosaics, divan marquetry inlay, and mashrabiya screens, the work honours the legacy of the Arab Hall as a physical reflection of the value of artisanal practices and cross-cultural exchange. Join us after-hours for an opportunity to meet Kamilah, who will attend in person.
The Arab Hall: After-Hours
Thursday 30 July, 5:30-8:30pm - Soraya Syed, From Water, Every Living Thing
Calligrapher and artist Soraya Syed, takes the fountain as its conceptual and architectural point of origin. A film of animated gold calligraphy will be projected directly onto the fountain’s black marble basin, where letters appear to float, fragment, and reform in dialogue with the water’s movement and sound, as a sequence of goldfish gradually transforms into script. Join us after-hours for an opportunity to meet Soraya, who will attend in person.
Useful information
- With the museum shop and a paid bar open throughout the evening.
- Explore the historic house, see our temporary exhibition and film and enjoy the museum's private garden.
- Access to our After-Hours events are included in Leighton House general admission tickets for the same date.
- 50% Discount: All visitors with tickets to the Arab Hall exhibition will receive a 50% discount code redeemable on tickets for the two 'Arab Hall: After-Hours' events - to see Kamilah Ahmed’s and Soraya Syed’s installations, opening respectively on 15 May and 30 July, when the museum will remain open until 8:30pm. Find the discount codes in the free exhibition guide provided to Leighton House ticket holders at the museum or in your confirmation email if you have booked tickets online.
For updates on all of our upcoming events sign up to our museums e-newsletter.