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UNESCO late last year added Arabic calligraphy, a key tradition in the Arab and Islamic worlds, to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list. It is nothing but the practice of handwriting and calligraphy based on the Arabic alphabet.

In total, 16 Muslim-majority countries, led by Saudi Arabia, presented the nomination to the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, which announced the listing on Twitter.

In Arabic, this practice of calligraphy is called khatt. It is derived from the word line, 'design' or 'construction'. While most use Arabic calligraphy and Islamic calligraphy interchangeably, the two are not the same.

This listing by UNESCO is welcomed by conservationists as many have complained about the lack of people taking to Arabic calligraphy due to technological advancements. Researchers believe that the tag would contribute to developing this cultural heritage

What is intangible heritage?

It includes traditions or living expressions inherited from ancestors and passed on through generations. These may be in the form of performing arts, oral traditions, social practices, rituals, knowledge, festive events and crafts among others. Intangible cultural heritage plays an important role in maintaining cultural diversity in the times of globalisation.

As of 2021, 629 elements from 139 countries have been added to the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. These include, the Kumbh Mela, Yoga, Chhau dance, Kutiyattam, and Ramlila among others from India.

Picture Credit : Google

Italian Johannes Stoetter is bodypainter whose nature inspired paintings featuring hidden humans will make you do a double take.

Stotter said the idea for the project started as a coincidence. He was working on another series when the model's leg reminded him of a frog's leg, so he decided to create a whole frog out of people. Stotter then created a video for the illusion to demonstrate how the frog actually consists of five models covered in body paint. 

The process begins with Stotter having models pose in different positions. He then sketches what he expects the final image to look like. It then takes him a whole week to paint the background. Next, Stotter body paints the animals on his models, which could take anywhere from two to 10 hours. Once the background and models are painted, he takes around 100 photos to get the perfect shot.

Credit : Insider 

Picture Credit : Google

Switzerland-based origami artist Sipho Mabona folded this life-sized elephant from a single sheet of paper (50 feet x 50 feet).

The white elephant stands 10 feet tall and weighs a whopping 250 kg.

Simultaneously quiet and powerful, the towering creature proves, as the artist himself says, "there is no limit in origami".

Mabona financed the project through Internet-crowdfunding site Indiegogo where he raised over $26,000 from 631 funders. A webcam was installed that allowed people to watch the massive elephant take shape. The artist ran into some major challenges like figuring out how to spread a huge sheet of paper, measuring 15 meters by 15 meters (or 50 by 50 feet), in a hall, to transform the sheet of paper into the body of an elephant. Also, there were moments during the folding process, when he had to get the help of up to ten people to lift and fold the paper.

Picture Credit : Google