Dear Nightingale

Created for the major exhibition Making Paradise: Exploring the concept of Eden through Art & Islamic Garden Design 2021 at the Aga Khan Centre Gallery, London, Dear Nightingale is the second design for Jane's ceramic tile diptych 'Dear Hoopoe' and 'Dear Nightingale' which features her original Biro drawings.

Inspired by Attar's 12th century poem The Conference of the Birds, Dear Nightingale depicts one of the world’s most famous songbirds. The tile pattern Jane chose as the foundation of this design is from Shah-i-Zinda and entwined with roses which symbolise the nightingale’s representation in the poem as the lover. However the nightingale known for its alluring song remains tight beaked as it listens to the Hoopoe’s words.

Interlaced through the pattern is a Green Peafowl which represents another member of the avian cast, the peacock. Jane selected this species as they too are exquisite yet unlike the peacock, they are endangered, which reflects her interest in threatened species. Also featured is a Dead Sea Sparrow and a Turtle Dove another species that is listed globally as vulnerable.