The 57th Blake Prize

“When I lived in Instanbul I became involved with the Mevlevi (Whirling Dervishes), and my work started to become infused with the mystical ideas contained within Sufism. In 2007 this led to a large installation of sound and drawings, exploring the cosmology of the Whirling Dervish. The piece I have submitted is 2 panels from this series of 26. The text is Jallaludin Rumi’s (Mevelevi’s Founder) name written in Arabic calligraphy placed inside a spinning dervish, expressing the dynamic rotation of all that is contained within the universe.” - Peter Daverington.

From 1992 until 2003 Peter travelled the world visiting 46 countries with extended periods in Egypt, Turkey, Germany, USA and Guatemala. Since 1994 he has studied Turkish and Arabian Ney flute with several masters of the instrument in Turkey and Egypt, specializing in the Ottoman and Sufi Music of Turkey. He is currently a lecturer at the Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne, and an exhibiting artist based in Melbourne. He was born in 1974. www.peterdaverington.com