Capturing centuries of Sufi art

What do most of us know of Sufism beyond the poet Rumi? Sufi art spans continents, cultures, and centuries. It takes countless forms, from mosque tile work and works of enduring architecture, to devotional music, shadow puppet theater, and the ecstatic movement of whirling dervishes. When the National Museum of Asian Art set out to build an online exhibition capturing this breadth of sounds and sights, they came to Night Kitchen Interactive to bring it to life.

The first challenge was curation. With thousands of artifacts, artworks, and musical traditions to draw from, we worked closely with the National Museum of Asian Art to identify which would best serve the exhibition's storytelling goals.

The result is an online exhibition that matches its subject matter in texture and spirit. As visitors scroll through the experience, the interface moves with the content, zooming, sliding, and shifting in ways that reflect the vibrancy and intricacy of Sufi artistic traditions. From the intricate carpets of Ardabil to the puppet traditions of Cirebon, the exhibition carries visitors across geographies as fluidly as Sufism itself has spread across the globe. It is expansive without being overwhelming, and colorful without losing focus.

The resulting online exhibition expands access to the artwork and stories beyond the Smithsonian galleries to audiences around the world.