Heaven Above the Sky of Gaza (title plate)

Description

Preservation Notes

PROVISIONAL. Assessment from visual inspection of a digital image only. No physical examination. Data gaps are expected on this collection and will be completed as information reaches the archive. SERIES TITLE, RECOVERED FROM THE WORK ITSELF This file carries the text HEAVEN ABOVE THE SKY OF GAZA set as a title, together with the artist's name. It appears to be a title plate or cover image for a series rather than a standalone artwork. This is the first hard evidence of a series name anywhere in the collection, and it comes from the artist's own typography rather than from inference. The five other files sharing the Heaven filename prefix are very likely part of the same series. That grouping rests on the filenames plus this plate and should be confirmed with the artist, but it is a far stronger basis than any earlier grouping in this archive. ARTIST NAME, BOTH SPELLINGS ARE CORRECT The name is set here in clean type as NOURA AL QASASIA. The artist record reads Noura Alqasasia. Confirmed with the archive: the artist uses both forms herself. Both are authorial. DO NOT RECONCILE THESE. Do not treat either spelling as an error, and do not standardise one to the other. This is ordinary transliteration variance for an Arabic name written in Latin script, and the variation is the artist's own choice rather than an inconsistency in the record. An earlier version of this note recommended reconciling the two spellings. That recommendation was wrong and has been removed. Anyone auditing this archive later should read this paragraph before touching her name anywhere in it. Al Qasasia and Alqasasia should both be treated as valid and searchable forms. Any name index, exhibition label, credit line, or front-end search should accept either and return the same artist. If a single form is ever required for a specific purpose, it should be chosen by asking her, not by counting which appears more often in the files. SIGNATURE READINGS, A SEPARATE AND UNRELATED PROBLEM Distinct from the spelling variance above: automated reading of her handwritten cursive signature has failed on every attempt across this collection, returning Aura Al Qazasia, Newa Al Qassria, Neuma, Auma, Aenna, Leura, Neima Al Qassem, Nema Al Qazzia, Neora Qasasian, and Neura Al Qassim. None of those is her name in any spelling, and none should be recorded anywhere. Signatures on her works have therefore been left untranscribed throughout the collection. Transcribe them only from human reading. ARABIC TEXT, REQUIRES TRANSLATION There are two separate passages of Arabic in this image, one at the centre in white and red and one beneath the artist's name. Neither has been transcribed or translated. This is the highest priority outstanding item on this record. The central passage sits in the position of a subtitle or dedication and may carry the meaning of the entire series. It must be read and recorded in full, with translation, by someone with Arabic literacy. Do not treat it as decorative. MATERIAL ASSESSMENT Reads as digital: selective depth of field on the flowers, crisp anti-aliased type, and an even black ground. Recorded as unconfirmed. Note that the studio photograph on the artist record shows her working with brushes and paints, so a physical practice is confirmed for her generally, even if this particular plate is screen-made. SOURCE FILE NouraAlqasiaHeaven2.JPG, 1620 x 2160 px. Lower resolution than most of the collection; a higher-resolution original should be requested. Physical dimensions unknown, and may not apply if the work is screen-native.

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