SHARJAH // After selecting the shade he wanted to use, Dr Bassam Daghestani placed celluloid fibre made from cotton and linen into a mixer, and added water.
A few minutes later, he placed the fibre, dyed in beige, into a large plastic tub of water.
He moved the mixture around to ensure that it was dispersed before inserting a wooden frame similar to a mesh.
The fibres evenly covered the frame before he removed it and held it up for a few seconds, allowing the water to drain. He turned the fibres onto cloth, which drew out more moisture, before ironing the sheets of freshly made paper dry.
The traditional secrets of making paper in the Arab and Islamic world were shared at a Monday night workshop at the Sharjah Art Gallery.
During the interactive session, members of the audience were invited to make their own paper and to learn the fundamental principles of this manual process from centuries past.
"The traditional way of making paper as was done in the Islamic world ensures that prized works of calligraphy, as well as other forms of writing and art, are preserved through the decades," said Dr Daghestani, head of the maintenance treatment and restoration department at Juma al Majid Centre for Culture and Heritage.
"It means that we can have access to a manuscript that dates back over 1,000 years today."
The workshop, part of Sharjah's thirteenth Islamic Arts Festival "Naqsh and Raqsh," also gave attendees an understanding of the materials used by the Arabs who had learnt paper making from the Chinese in the eighth century.
"In the seventeenth century, due to the high demand for paper and the need for an increase in production, manufacturing took off," said Dr Daghestani. "If you look at books printed over a hundred years ago, you can tell that they are disintegrating."
Cellulose fibre, which is necessary for the manual production of paper, can cost large amounts to purchase in Europe, according to Dr Daghestani. It was the need to use up to 400kg of this material each year for the restoration of manuscripts that prompted him to help set up a manufacturing plant in 1999.
"The finest paper is free of impurities and acidity, which could cause it to age faster," he explained. "Good paper has a pH balance between seven and eight."
Workshop participant Seham al Wazery, an Egyptian artist, wanted to try her hand at the new skill.
"I learnt a lot about the process, but I still feel that I need to try it for myself to make sure that the information registers," she said. "As an artist, I paint on a canvas, but it is interesting to hear that this type of paper lasts for a long time."
Mohammad Jaafar al Daweel, a Yemeni professor at Sharjah Art Institute, also said he learnt a lot at the workshop.
"The workshop was very valuable, and we discovered a lot of things that we did not know. This handmade paper is very fine, especially for graphic work and calligraphy."