Danish calligraphist Denis Brown came to Turkey at the invitation of the Mavera Community to offer a four-day workshop on Western calligraphy. Following the workshop, the renowned calligraphist spoke with an Anadolu Agency (AA) correspondent.Stating that it is the first time that he came to Turkey, Brown said, "I am aware that Turkey has been going through sad incidents such as the attempted military coup. There were people who warned me to take care of myself in Turkey but no one told me not to come to Turkey. I am an artist and I have to be here in [Turkey] to talk about my art. I am glad to be here."Brown said he has investigated the calligraphy works produced in Turkey and the art of calligraphy here continues to be one of the most successful examples of the field, and is gaining momentum. The Danish artist said he is familiar with Islamic calligraphy but he has never tried it. "I studied the examples of Islamic calligraphy in Turkey. I can say that there are very good works. I have been told that Islamic calligraphy is written very slowly and the moves have to be very slow and smooth. I can sometimes feel the artist's touch on the work. I can see the mistakes and retouches in the work. There are problems in Western calligraphy as well. I believe that the artist has to move fast to draw perfect lines. There is a certain system in Western calligraphy. Some lines are narrow while some are wide in Islamic calligraphy and this gives a rhythm and harmony to the artwork. It is like a melody that has been blended with various characteristics. However, this harmony does not exist in Western calligraphy," Brown said.Brown has introduced a 21st century interpretation of traditional calligraphy. He constantly tries to bring something new between letters and he calls it polyrhythmic calligraphy. "In fact, Western calligraphy borrows from Islamic calligraphy. I can see the moves that Islamic calligraphists do in modern calligraphy as well," Brown added.He also shared his observation with an AA correspondent and said, "I believe Turkish calligraphists earn a lot of money because some of the calligraphy works in Turkey are very expensive." Pointing out the importance given to calligraphy in Turkey, Brown continued: "You have decorated all your mosques with calligraphy. Calligraphy is a holy art for you but this does not apply to Western calligraphy. Western calligraphy does not have ancient history like Islamic calligraphy does. Western calligraphy dates back 100 years. We [Western people] decorate our churches with sculptures instead of calligraphy. The scope of Asian calligraphy is also very broad. Asian calligraphy also has an ancient history and Asians consider this art holy as well. Of course, Islamic calligraphy shares similarities with Asian calligraphy, which is particular to Japan and China, and Western calligraphy. However, Western calligraphy features more original elements than others."Brown took up calligraphy at an art school that he enrolled at when he was little. He said that he began calligraphy as a game but then the art became his profession. "Although it is my profession, I sometimes treat it like a game. I was happy when things were going well but I was never sad when the things went south. I continued to work on my art. I observe that a violinist does not make music my struggling with his or her violin but playing with it. In this regard, I consider calligraphy as a game and in fact I play with it while I am practicing. Well-known sportspeople and musicians play games as well. They work hard to play very well."The Danish artist stated that he continuously works on his calligraphy to get better. He also touched upon recent technologic developments and said: "Technology is very advanced. It will get better in 10 years and there will be numerous innovations in the art of calligraphy. Hence, I cannot set any goals for future. Technology might change calligraphists as well in the future."Brown, who has been to many countries around the world just to offer workshops on calligraphy, said he would be glad to come back to Turkey once again. He added that he is willing to open an exhibition of his work as long as he can find a sponsor. Stating that he wants to record entertaining and educative videos on the art of calligraphy, Brown claimed that he would be able to reach out to many people via social media. The artist also noted that he is currently working on a book project in which he talks about his life and works, adding his book will reach even more people than his exhibitions.