Converting to Islam

As you can see from the title, this exhibit made me want to convert to Islam. Not really (I would probably go crazy in regards to their views towards women), but in all seriousness, this display had a spiritual effect on me. I don't feel any guilt or discomfort in recognizing the truth that exists within the Islamic religion and I have no doubt that although their concept of God is different than mine, the same God answers both of our prayers. This hearkens back to our conversation about the Spirit being manifest in works that are not strictly LDS; God, truth, and the Spirit is everywhere and anywhere when anyone has faith in Him (kind of like Dumbledore. Was that an irreverent Harry Potter reference? I think not, it proves my point entirely).

The way that Islamic art praises God is absolutely fascinating. My favorite part of the exhibit was probably the room that displayed several forms of architecture with "the Word" written on it. Muslims engrave calligraphy into everyday objects and places so that they will constantly be surrounded by the God. In that part of the exhibit, I felt just that, that God was everywhere and was surrounding me with His love. Even though I couldn't read the language, I knew that the calligraphy was depicting spiritual truth. I also loved the motif of intricate detail, pattern, and repetition and how these aspects of the art also related back to worship. It's the small details, the difficult, wearing everyday tasks like prayer and scripture study that ultimately strengthen our relationship with God. This concept is manifest in the labor intensive but beautiful patterns and details typical of Islamic art.

What I take away from this is that I tend to love subtle representations of spirituality. If you aren't looking for the religious symbolism in these art pieces, you probably won't find them. I guess this is what I would like to mimic in my own work. I don't want to blatantly and tastelessly proclaim my testimony through my work, rather I would like it to be present but still enjoyable for those who don't share the same beliefs. This was a really cool assignment and I'm glad that the exhibit was rich enough to inspire all of these thoughts.