Islamic Design: A Genius For Geometry (Wooden Books North America Editions)

Islamic Design: A Genius For Geometry (Wooden Books North America Editions)

Across the Islamic world, illuminating Korans from Morocco to Malaysia, and adorning mosques, mausoleums and palaces, are hidden some of the most exquisite geometrical devices ever conceived by man. In this excellent pocket book, geometer Daud Sutton unravels the mystery of Islamic patterns, explaining where they come from, how to draw them, and hinting at the Divine messages they encode.  Daud Sutton is Director of the Thesaurus Islamicus Foundation’s design studio Editio Electrum, based in Cairo, and also author of Platonic & Archimedean Solids in this series. The role of sacred art is to support the spiritual life of those whom it surrounds, to instill a way of perceiving the world and the subtle realities behind it. The challenge thus facing the traditional artisan is how to build with matter so as to best embody spirit. The great temples, churches and mosques of the world are the legacy of our attempts to do just this, each determined by the spiritual perspective in question. Throughout their long history the craft traditions of the Islamic world evolved a multitude of styles applied to a great variety of media, but always with unifying factors that make them instantly recognisable. It is perhaps no surprise that an art form that seeks explicitly to explore the relationship between Unity and multiplicity should be at the same time unified yet diverse. Harmony is central. The visual structure of Islamic design has two key aspects: calligraphy using Arabic script – one of the world's great scribal traditions – and abstract ornamentation using a varied but remarkably integrated visual language. This art of pure ornament revolves around two poles: geometric pattern, the harmonic and symmetrical subdivision of the plane giving rise to intricately interwoven designs that speak of infinity and the omnipresent center; and idealised plant form or arabesque, spiraling tendrils, leaves, buds and flowers embodying organic life and rhythm. This book focuses on Islamic geometric patterns, exploring their structure and meaning.