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Choudhrey, Sara (2016) Digital Islamic Art: The Use of Digital Technologies in Contemporary
Islamic Art in the UK. In: Electronic Visualisation and the Arts (EVA 2016), 12 - 14 Jul 2016,
London, UK.
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http://doi.org/10.14236/ewic/EVA2016.26
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DigitalIslamicArt:
TheUseofDigitalTechnologies
inContemporaryIslamicArtintheUK
SaraChoudhrey([email protected])
SchoolofEngineeringandDigitalArts,UniversityofKent
In this paper I provide a brief introduction to my artistic practice combining the use of digital
technologies with traditional methods for producing Islamic art. Looking at further examples of
Islamic artworks by artists in the UK I describe how in some cases, the artworks are digital in
themselves,usingdigitaltechnologiesasamediumandinothercases,wheretechnologiesareused
asatool.LookingatexampleswheretraditionalelementsofIslamicart(calligraphy,geometryand
arabesquepatterns),arecombinedwithdigitaltechniques,theconceptofahybridartisdiscussed.I
proposetoadoptthehybridisedterm‘digitalIslamicart’todescribetheseartworks,andalsodiscuss
howthemesofhybridity,diasporaandthechangingnatureofthewidercommunityintheUKand
beyondareconveyedthroughtheseartworks.
Keywords:Digitalart,Islamicart,DigitalIslamicArt,HybridArt,Hybridity,Diaspora
Introduction
IamcurrentlyconductingPhDresearchattheUniversityofKentwhereIhavebeenexploringthenatureand
presenceofIslamicartintheUKinrelationtomyownartisticpracticeinspiredbytraditionalIslamicart.My
artisticpracticeinvolvestheuseofgeometryandarabesque(stylisedfloralmotif)patternswhicharetwoof
thethreeaestheticsmostcharacteristicofIslamicart.Icombinetheseaestheticswiththeuseofdigital
technologiesasbothatoolandamedium,allowingfortheapplicationandmanipulationofpatternsin
differingways.
InthispaperIwilldescribetheprocessandmethodsIhavedevelopedinordertoproducemyartworks,the
roleoftechnologyinthisprocess,andhowthiscanbedescribedasahybridartform.Iwillalsoprovide
furtherinsightintothethemesIexploreinmyartworkswhichrelatetothetopicsofhybridityinformandin
culturesandsocieties.Finally,Iwillprovideexamplesofafurtherthreeartistswhoareengagingwithdigital
technologiesintheirart-makingwhilstadoptingtraditionalaestheticswhicharecharacteristicofIslamicart.
InconclusionIwillproposeafurtherstudyinordertogainafullerunderstandingofengagementwithdigital
IslamicartbyaudienceswithintheUK.
WhatisIslamicArt?
!
AlthoughthereisageneralunderstandingofthesubjectofIslamicart,theuseofthespecificterm‘Islamic
art’hasbecomequitecontested(BlairandBloom,2003).ThisislargelyduetoIslamicartbeingpredominantly
linkedtothoselandswheretherewaseitheraMuslimpopulationoraMuslimpatron(Grabar,1973).This
workedwellforobjectsandsitespre20thcentury,withthelastoftheMuslimempires,theOttomanEmpire,
reigninguntil1924.However,thistypeofdefinitionisalsocommonlyfollowedbynegationsincludingthose
acknowledgingthatMuslimlandisnotrestrictingtoonelocation,andalsothatnotallartistsproducing
IslamicartarenecessarilyMuslim(Grabar,1973).Astraightforwardandconcisedefinitionisthereforeharder
tocomebyifbasedonregionandreligiousaffiliationalone.However,focusingonthevisualaesthetics
commonacrossmanyexamplesofIslamicart,thethreemostcommonlyobserveddecorativeelementsare
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SaraChoudhrey
DigitalIslamicart:TheuseofdigitaltechnologiesbyartistsofcontemporaryIslamicartintheUK
calligraphy(usuallyinArabicorPersian),geometry,andtheuseoffloralmotifstoproduceintricate
compositionsandpatterns(ChoudhreyandBobrowicz,2016).Thesethreeelementswereappliedtoall
mannerofobjects,craftsandarchitectureintraditionalIslamicartand,aswillbediscussedfurther,continue
tobeintegratedintoartworksbyartistsofIslamicarttoday.
IntheexamplesIexploreaspartofmyresearchtherearetwocriteriaIhaveassociatedwithanyworksthatI
refertoasIslamicart.Firstly,thattheyincludeatleastoneofthethreeaestheticsrecognisedwithinIslamic
art(calligraphy,geometryorfloralmotifs),andsecondly,thattheartistregardstheirworkasbeinginspired
byorrelatedtoIslamicart,cultureorreligioninsomeway.Formyself,thisiscertainlythecase.
WhatisDigitalArt?
Digitalartisanothertermwhichcanbeunderstoodasencompassingavarietyofartformsandmediums.
Takinganinclusiveapproach,digitalartcanberegardedasthatwhichhasbeeneitherpresentedorproduced
withtheuseoftechnology.ChristianePaul,authorofDigitalArt,inextricablylinksthisgenretothecreation
anddevelopmentofcomputertechnology,providingnumerousexamplesofwherethedigitalhasplayedto
roleofthetoolaswellasmedium(Paul,2007).Interestingly,Paul,alsodescribesaninherentcharacteristicof
digitalarttobeofahybridnature.
HybridityandHybridArt
Basedonthemostinclusiveanddiverseinterpretation,hybridisationisusedtodescribewheretherehas
beenaninstanceoractofcombiningmorethanoneelement,bethismaterials,experiences,environments,
cultures,systems,etc.,(Kraidy2009).Hybridisationisoftendiscussedinthecontextofcolonialandpostcolonialhistory,whereitiseitherusedforacknowledgementofgroupsorsocietieswhomaynotfitintoone
specificculturalgrouping,orarguedagainstbythosewhofeelthatassigningidentitiesbasedoncultureor
raceisjustanotherexampleofdivisiveclassification(Kraidy2009andYoung1995).ThroughhistitleCultural
Hybridity,Burke(2009)introducesustomanyspecificexamplesofwhereculturalandnationalinteractions
haveledtohybridisationinlanguage,religion,design,art,musicandsports,tonamejustafew.Allaretiedto
thechangingnatureofthepopulationinanygivenregionorlandwiththemigrationofpeoplesresultingin
diasporaandglobalisation.
Whenappliedtoarts,craftsandscience,theassignationofthehybridlabelbecomesmorealittlemore
specific.Forexample,theprocessofcombiningtraditionalwithcontemporarymakingprocessesisreferredto
asahybridartform.ArsElectronica’sannualPrixcompetitionincludesabiennialcategoryofHybridArt.
EntriesmustcomplywiththefollowingremitasstatedontheArsElectronicawebsite(2016):
The“HybridArt”categoryisdedicatedspecificallytotoday’shybridand
transdisciplinaryprojectsandapproachestomediaart.Primaryemphasisisonthe
processoffusingdifferentmediaandgenresintonewformsofartisticexpressionas
wellastheactoftranscendingtheboundariesbetweenartandresearch,artand
social/politicalactivism,artandpopculture.
Inthiscasetheuseofthetermhybridrelatesspecificallytotheartform.However,anexampleofwherethe
termhasbeenlinkedwithanartist’sbackgroundaswellashisartisticoutputcanbefoundinAsheerAkram’s
work.CuratorKimberleyMasteller(2015),talksoftheinclusionofAkram’sPakistaniCargoTruckInitiativein
anexhibitionofbothtraditionalandcontemporaryIslamicartinKansasCity,USA.Mastellerdescribesthis
particularworkofAkram’sasanexampleofhybridartformduetotheuseofalocal1950sChevytruckwhich
wasconvertedandre-styledtoresembleaPakistanitruck.Thehybridityhereisrelatedtothecombinationof
thelocalAmericanmaterials,thecraftinmaking,theparticipationoflocalcontributors,andtheuseofstyles
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DigitalIslamicart:TheuseofdigitaltechnologiesbyartistsofcontemporaryIslamicartintheUK
evokingAkram’sPakistaniheritagethroughaestheticsandapplication.AkramisofAmericanbirthbut
Pakistaniheritage,providinganotheraspectofhybriditythroughhisidentity.Akramusesacombinationof
streetartandIslamicdesignandhimselfrelateshisworktoIslamicart,makingfrequentuseofthetag
#islamicartinreferencetoimagesofhisworkonhisInstagramaccount.
BasedonBurke’sdescriptionsofhybridity,therearemanycross-culturalinfluencesbeingencounteredinmy
existenceandmyoutput(Burke,2009).BeingofPakistaniheritageandaMuslimbornandlivingintheUK,I
amfromwhatwouldbeconsideredbothanethnicandreligiousminorityintheUK,Muslimsaccountingfor
approximately4.9%ofthepopulation(Ali2015).Woulditbecorrecttoassumemyartishybridbywayof
beingarepresentationofmyhybrididentity,similartothatofAsheerAkram’s?Tome,ithasalwaysfelta
naturalprogressionofmyinterestsandskills.Eitherway,perhapsthisscenarioprovidesvaliditytomyusage
ofhybridisedterminology.Iconsiderusingtheterm‘digitalIslamicart’todescribeandperhapsindicatethe
hybridnatureofmyartisticpractice,myidentityandthethemesIportrayinmywork.
IntryingtounderstandthecontextualrelevanceofmyartisticpracticeIhavebeenexploringthepresenceof
similarartworksbyartistsintheUK,whereIslamicartiscombinedwiththeuseoftechnologyandwherethe
hybridisedterm‘digitalIslamicart’mightalsobeapplied.
TheManifestationofHybridityinPractice
Followingonfromtheabovedescriptionsofhybridityandhybridart,Ipresentmyownworkasanexampleof
whereatraditionalprocessofcreatingIslamicpatternsisappliedtocontemporaryartforms,demonstrating
thedevelopmentofIslamicartwiththeincorporationofdigitaltechnologies.
WithinmyartisticpracticeImakeuseoftwoofthreeaestheticscharacteristicofIslamicart:geometricand
arabesquepatterns(thethirdbeingArabiccalligraphy)(ChoudhreyandBobrowicz2016).Geometricpatternmakingisdescribedasasacredart,notjustinrelationtoreligionandattributingittoDivineorsacred
creation(Nasr1987),butalsoinrelationtodemonstratingharmonyinthenaturalworldandcosmos
(Critchlow1999).
Ifindtheprocessofcreatingcomplexpatternschallenging,meditativeandrewarding.Havinglearntthe
methodsforconstructingIslamicpatternsusingacompassandstraightedge,Ibeganexploringwaysinwhich
patternscouldbetakenfurther.BasedonthemanyexamplesIhadseeninBritishMuseumsandgalleries,
patternshadbeenappliedtoobjectsurfacesandalsoappliedtolargerstructuressuchasbuildings.Ibegan
consideringhowpatternscouldbecometheartworkitself,notjustthedecorativeelementofanartwork.
However,itwasessentialtolearnhowtocreatethepatternsproportionallyandaccuratelybeforeworking
withthesefurther.TothisendIusedvariousresourcesandattendedworkshopstolearnthetraditional
methodsforcreatingsuchpatternsbyhand,asdemonstratedinFigure1.
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DigitalIslamicart:TheuseofdigitaltechnologiesbyartistsofcontemporaryIslamicartintheUK
Figure1:ConstructionofIslamicgeometricpatternbasedoninstructionspublishedbyDaudSutton(2007)
©SaraChoudhrey2010
Thetraditionalprocessofpattern-makingisnowverymuchapartofthelargercreativeprocessIfollowin
developinganartwork.Hand-drawnconstructionofpatterncompositionsisfollowedbyavarietyofoutput.
Insomecases,thereisaprocessofdigitisingforwhichIuseAdobeIllustrator,producingavectorfilethatcan
beusedtoapplyapatterntovariousmaterialsusingfurtherdigitaltechniques.Inpastworks,these
techniqueshaveincludedlaser-cutting,laser-engraving,water-jetcutting,animatingandprojecting.The
choicetoworkwithdigitaltechniquesleadstocontemporarymediums.Inasensethisprovidesan
opportunitytodisprovemisconceptionsthatIslamicartconsistslargelyofartsandcraftsobjects(Blairand
Bloom2003).However,theuseoftraditionalartsandcraftstechniquesisnotentirelylostintheprocess,as,
insomecases,furtherhand-madetouchesofpainting,sculptingandwoodworkareincorporatedtocomplete
theartwork.Handassembly,andpaintingwasrequiredtocompletetheartworkRoundel.Thegeometric
patternusedinRoundelisavariationofapatterndemonstratedbyIssamElSaid(1976),foundattheIttimad
AdDawlasiteinAghra,India.InRoundel,thepatternwaslasercutintobirchwoodwithselecteduncut
sectionspaintedingold.RoundelformspartoftheUlteriorMotifsseries,whichexplorestheideaoftaking
thingsoutoftheiroriginalcontextandrepresentingthemelsewhere,sometimesdifferently,andnotalways
inrespecttotheiroriginalcontext.Thishasbeenwitnessedthroughouthistoryinregardstoappropriationin
materialobjects,religion,culture,symbolsandideology(Young2000).
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DigitalIslamicart:TheuseofdigitaltechnologiesbyartistsofcontemporaryIslamicartintheUK
Figure2:Roundel,2015
©SaraChoudhrey2015
SculptureisanotherexamplethatisnotconsideredatraditionalmediumwithinIslamicart(BlairandBoom
2003),andyetthisisanareaIhavefoundtobemostengagingforaudiencesofcontemporaryartworks,
especiallywhencombinedwithinteractivity.OneoftheearliestinteractiveartworksIdevelopedwasReflect,
seeninFigure3,exhibitedattheWatermansGalleryinLondonin2010.TheprocessforcreatingReflect
followedthatdescribedabove,whereatraditionalgeometricpatternwasconstructed,digitised,andthen
appliedtoaluminium.Computeraidedmachinerywasrequiredtocutthepatternwithawater-jet.Ichoseto
usealuminiumsheet,asithadareflectivenatureandwasthin-enoughtosculptbyhandtoresembleawave.
Itwasimportantthatthesculpturalaspectandthedigitalinteractivityworkedtogetherwiththeaestheticsto
makeitanappealingandengaginginstallation.Theworkwasfurtherdevelopedbyincorporatingaprojection
ofreal-timecamerafeedusinganinfra-redcamerathatwouldworkinadarkenedspace.Thefeedwas
convertedtobasicshapeswithalimitedcolourpalettethroughtheOpenCVlibrarywithintheProcessingIDE.
Thedigitallymanipulatedcamerafeedwasthenprojecteddirectlyontothesculpture.Duetothehighly
sensitiveinfra-redcameraused,anymovementdetectedwithinthespacearoundtheinstallationenableda
constantdynamismtothework.Theprojectionwasinconstantfluxandgavetheimpressionofan
underwaterripplingeffect,atoncecreatingreflections,shadowsandbothuponandwithinthesculptureand
nearbysurfaces.Providingtheinteractiveelementallowedforengagementoftheusertoexplorethe
aestheticsandnatureofthework.ByopenlyexhibitingasanartistinspiredbyIslamicartandalludingto
morethanwhatmeetstheeyeIwasinvitingtheviewertodelvemoredeeply,toreflect,asthename
suggested’upontheirsurroundingsandquestionthingsbeyondthesurfacetounderstandcauseandeffect,
leavinganydeeperinterpretationsopentotheuser.
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DigitalIslamicart:TheuseofdigitaltechnologiesbyartistsofcontemporaryIslamicartintheUK
Figure3:Reflect,interactiveinstallation,Enter10,WatermansGallery,2010
(Photo:DawnJames)©SaraChoudhrey2010
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AnotherexampleofthehybridprocessofdigitisingtraditionalIslamicartwasappliedtoDigitalB-Orders,an
interactiveinstallationwhichcanbeseeninFigure5below.DesignofDigitalB-OrdersbeganwithahanddrawnarabesqueborderpatternofIranianstyle.Theborderconsistsoffloralandcurvedmotifsjoinedina
vine-likemanner.Thecurvedshapesmadefromspiralswithincircles(resemblingtheyinyangsymbol)are
alsoknownas‘rumi’or‘islimi’(Azzam2013).
Arabesque/islimipatternsinborderformaretraditionallyusedforilluminatingthepagesofQur’ans,
manuscriptsandlegaldocuments.Onceasegmentofthepatternisconstructed,itcanberepeatedforany
desiredlengthandwidthofanysizeddocumentsimplybyreflectingandrotating.Thedigitisedpatternwas
testedbycuttingasegmentofthepatterninto3mmacrylicPerspex®.Thedesignwasthenrevisedseveral
timesbeforeitwasdeemedsuitableforuse,onesuchrevisioncanbeseeninFigure4.
Figure4:VectordrawingofpatternsegmentforDigitalB-Orders.
©SaraChoudhrey2016
Perspex isanidealmaterialforlaser-cuttingandworkswellindiffusinglight.Itisalsoarelativelydurable
materialmakingitidealforsculpturalpieces.WiththeabovearabesquedesignappliedtoPerspex®inasemitransparentdarkgrey,afurtheraspectofdigitisationwasrequiredinordertoallowforuserinteractivity.
®
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DigitalIslamicart:TheuseofdigitaltechnologiesbyartistsofcontemporaryIslamicartintheUK
LEDswereplacedaroundaninternalwoodenframewhichwasalsousedtoattachthelaser-cutPerspex®
panelsoneitherside.ThroughtheuseofaminiArduinoboardandtwoultrasonicproximitysensors,
movementwithin80cmofeithersideoftheartworkcouldbedetected,thiswouldthenactivatetheLEDS.If
movementoccurredontherightoftheinstallation,segmentsofLEDwouldlightupinaclockwisecycle.If
activatedfromtheleft,LEDswouldfollowananti-clockwisecycle,allLEDsfadingin,thenoutattheendof
eachcycle.
Inthisartwork,theactofilluminatingtheartworkisplacedintotheusers’hands.Unlikeintraditional
illumination,thedecorativeaspectisatoncevisualandliteral;theilluminationitselfisilluminated.This
arrangementmovesawayfromthetraditionalgalleryset-upwhereframedartworksarethecentralfocusand
theirframescanbeignored.Inthiscase,theframingborderisacentralcomponentoftheartwork,
highlightedbytheuser’seffectonit.Afurtheraspectofsuspendingtheworkinthisnatureproducesaframe,
positionedoffthefloor,asifsuspendedinmid-air.Thepositionoftheframedspacewithreflectivesurface
allowsforaself-portraitoftheviewer,whilstthesemi-transparent,hollowcentrecreatesaframeviewableby
anyonepositionedontheotherside.Thisplacementoftheworkencouragestheviewertolookbeyondtheir
‘selfie’ofamoretraditionalnaturetocontemplatethecompositionandrelevanceofahighlydecorative
border.
Figure5:InstallationviewofDigitalB-Orders,InternationalFestivalofProjections,Canterbury2016.
©SaraChoudhrey2016
InnamingDigitalB-Ordersthereisanintentionalplayonwords.Foroneitisdrawingattentiontothedigital
inthedigitalage,questioningourinteractionsthroughdigitaldevicesandinterfaces.Thereisalsothe
significanceoftheborderinaliteralandfigurativesense-theorderofnotonlynature(evokedbythefloral
pattern)butorderimposedbyboundariesaffectingthemovement,placementanddisplacementof
communities.Theworkspeaksofhybriditybutalsoofglobalisation,andallowsforthedecorative
ornamentationtodrawconnectionsbetweenEastandWest,alludingtothelonghistoryofmaterial
interactionsthatcontinuetoday.Byincorporatingtheengagingelementsofinteraction,theartworkforces
theusertounderstandtheirimpactinasensorymannerandhopestoinstigatecontemplationofinteractivity
betweenpersonsinthewiderglobalcommunity.
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DigitalIslamicart:TheuseofdigitaltechnologiesbyartistsofcontemporaryIslamicartintheUK
DigitalIslamicArtintheUK
Ihavedabbledwithusingtheterm‘digitalIslamicart’todescribemyartworks,myintentionbeingtobring
furtherclaritytothetypeofartIamcreating.AlthoughIslamicartanddigitalartareconsideredarttypesin
theirownright,Iseethecombinationofthetwoasahybridart.Icombinethetwoinpractice,interminology
andinmeaning.Outsideoftheliteralconceptofcombiningthetermsandpractices,thereareanumberof
theoreticalconceptsofhybrididentity,diasporaanddis/placementthatIlooktocommunicatethroughmy
artworks.Thefocusis,therefore,notjustonaestheticsandmedium,ratheritisalsothemessagebeing
portrayedthroughtheuseofdecorativeandinteractiveelementswithinthework.
OneoftheearliestexamplesofIslamicartusingdigitaltechnologiesIencounteredintheUKwasBeautyof
AbstractionbyZarahHussain,astillofwhichcanbeseeninFigure6.Hussain,isanartistofcontemporary
Islamicart,ofPakistaniheritage,bornandlivingintheUK.Sheisknownforherartworksofcolourful
geometriccompositionsthathighlightthe‘orderandharmonyoftheworldaroundus’(Hussain2015).In
producinggeometricpatternsofadigitalnature,Hussainhasmanagedtobridgetwoareas,combiningher
knowledgeofsoftwareandtechnologieswithhertraditionaltraininginIslamicart.BeautyofAbstraction,was
thefirstdigitalanimationHussainproducedusingIslamicpatternpresentinganever-changing,evolving
patternofcoloursandcompositionswithinasetgridofshapes.
Figure6:StillfromBeautyinAbstraction
©ZarahHussain2005
ThesehypnoticanimationshaveledtoHussain’sworkbeingprojectedontobuildings,aspublicdisplayswith
ahigherlevelofengagementachievedthroughuser-input.IntherecentSouthendColourdisplayintheUK
(showninFigure7),thelocalpublicwereinvitedtosharetheirviewsonmigrationanddemographicchange,
leadingtoacolourpaletteechoingpublicviewswhilstsimultaneouslyprovidingavisualdocumentationof
communitysentiment.
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DigitalIslamicart:TheuseofdigitaltechnologiesbyartistsofcontemporaryIslamicartintheUK
Figure7:StillfromSouthendColor
©ZarahHussain2015
AfurtherdescriptionofSouthendColourfromHussain’swebsitedescribes:
avisualexplorationoffeelingsaboutmigration,identityanddemographicchange.It
changescolouraccordingtoresponsesmadebythepeopleofSouthendinrealtime
throughinternetenableddevices.Theresultingdataiscollectedandpresentedasa
mathematicalgeometricpattern.
Hussain’sworkexploresaninfiniterangeofcoloursandvariationbutstilladherestothestructural
compositionoftheunderlyinggridandpattern.Itisalsotheconsciousinspirationshedrawsfromherfaith
wherebytheactofart-makinginvolvesasenseofspirituality.Theconstantvariationincoloursprovidesan
aptanalogyforthechangingnatureofdiasporapopulationsandglobalcommunities.
ArtistsusinggeometricpatternsofIslamicstylespeakoftheirinspirationcomingfromthepatternsadopted
andappliedtoartsandarchitectureinIslamicregions,asourceofinspirationtomyselftoo.SamaMara,an
artistofJordanianheritagebroughtupintheUK,isnotaMuslimbutisinspiredbyIslamicart.Marahas
studiedtraditionaltechniquesfordrawinggeometryfromtheIslamicandChristiantraditions(Mara2012)and
makesreferencetotheorderandharmonypresentintheworldthroughartworks.Thesenseofspiritualityis
againpresentforMarainhisunderstandingandhisexpressionoftheartformsandmethodshepractices,
mostrecentlycombininghistraditionaltrainingwithknowledgeofcomputerprogramming.Mara,in
collaborationwithcomposerLeeWestwood,developedaprogramforproducingIslamicgeometricpatterns
basedonsound.
!
Figure8:AHiddenOrderperformancewithliveensembleatPSTA,2014
(Photo:JonathanStokes)©LeeWestwoodandSamaMara2014
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DigitalIslamicart:TheuseofdigitaltechnologiesbyartistsofcontemporaryIslamicartintheUK
Takingahands-onapproachtoprogramming,Maradevelopedacustomsoftwareprogramtoconvey
thevisualisationofharmonyinmusicthroughshapesandcompositionsdistincttoIslamicpatterns.
!
Figure9:HexagonII–Cello&Percussion
©LeeWestwoodandSamaMara2014
Theresultwasaninstallationthatdisplayedsoundasart.Thefinalinstallationcouldtakeonvarious
modes:asareal-timeanimatedperformancewithlivemusicians(asshowninFigure8),asastandalone
touch-screeninteractivedisplay,orasaprojectedanimationwithaspecificsound-track.Lastly,the
programalsoallowedMaratocomposevisualartusingsoundasthetooltocreatepatternswhich
couldthenbeprinted(asshowninFigure9).Theresults,althoughvariedwitheachmediumand
method,allowedforvarietybutalsoconsistency,asthedesignoftheprogramstillensuredtheresults
werevisuallyandmusicallyproportionalandharmonious.Theoutcomeisthereforeanewformof
musicalvisualisationthatbridgesthescienceofsoundwiththescienceofgeometry,whilstadheringto
thefundamentalprinciplesofboth.
AsafinalexampleIwouldliketopresenttheworkofclassicallytrainedcalligrapherSorayaSyed.Syed
canbedescribedasbeingofahybridheritagewithPakistaniandFrenchparents.Syedhadstudied
extensivelyintheUKpriortopursuingknowledgeofArabiclanguageandcalligraphythroughan
apprenticeshipinEgypt.ShewasalsotrainedbymastercalligraphersinTurkeyandaftersevenyearsof
trainingshebecamethefirstBrittontoreceivealicenceinclassicalArabicscript.Althoughcalligraphy
istraditionallyproducedwithreedpensusinginkonpaperandcommonlyusedtodecoratereligious
architecture,Syedhasusedherknowledgeofcalligraphytoproduceanumberofdigitalartworksfor
exhibitionsintheUK.OnesuchexampleisHurriyah(showninFigure10),describedasa‘calligraphic
explorationoffreedomthroughanimationanddance’(Syed2013).
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DigitalIslamicart:TheuseofdigitaltechnologiesbyartistsofcontemporaryIslamicartintheUK
Figure10:HurriyahdesignincalligraphicformationfortheHurriyahanimation.
©SorayaSyed2013
HurriyahwasaccompaniedbyadanceperformancebySalahElBrogywhenexhibitedaspartofthe
NourFestivalinLondonin2013.Theanimationpresentstheformationoftheword‘hurriyah’(meaning
freedominArabic),beginningasasimpledotgrowingintoasailsetfreeupontheocean.Displayingthe
animationaspartofaliveperformancechangesthemediumtoahybridinmergingthetwo.Thework,
althoughproducedin2013,isnowsignificantinlightofrecentjourneysmadebyrefugeesseeking
escapefromwar-tornlands,travellingbyseatofindfreedomviadisplacement.Thisthemeofseeking
freedommayresonatewiththoseawareofthecurrentmigrantcrisisinEurope(BBC2016).
ThesubjectofmigrationandpublicconcernrelatesbacktotheworkofZarahHussain’sSouthend
Colourpresentinglocalconcernsregardingthepresenceofmigrants.Bothartworksallowforasubtler
engagementoftopicsconsideredtobeoneofthemostimportantissuesfacedbytheUKpublic.The
MigrationObservatory,2015).Perhapsthishybridartprovidesanalternativeperspectiveontheissues
facingthechangingpopulation.Byengagingwithandadoptingdigitaltechnologiesinanageinwhich
thedigitalisthenorm,itmightbemorerelevanttothewiderpublictoviewartofahybridnature,asit
mayprovideanaffinitywiththehybridcommunityinwhichtheyaresituated.
AnotherexampleofSyed’sadoptionoftechnologyinartwasintheuseofaholographicdisplayboxto
presentapartanimatedpieceThePenandtheSword,asshowninFigure11.Inthisartworka
calligraphicanimationinspiredbyanantiquepencaseintheCartwrightHall’spermanentcollection
wasproduced.
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Figure11:StillfromThePenandtheSword
©SorayaSyed2015
Thedisplaywasanintegrationofthestaticdisplayofthepencaseandtheanimationin3Dform
appearingtosoaroutthroughthepencase,bindingthetwotogetherinpresentation.Thealternative
materialityoftheanimation,juxtaposedagainstthephysicalpresenceofthepencase,gavethe
impressionthatthetwoheldanequalrelevancefortheviewer.Incombiningtheoldwiththenew,
SyedpresentedacontinuityinIslamicartnotreliantonspecificformormedium,contributingto
anotherformofhybridartthatcouldbetermeddigitalIslamicart.
Conclusion
InthispaperIhavepresentedmyartisticpracticeinusingacombinationoftraditionalIslamic
aestheticswithdigitaltechnologies.Theseartworkshavebeeninformedbyandaddressthesubjectsof
hybriditythroughtheirownhybridnaturewhilstadheringtoIslamicartisticaesthetics.Asaresult,I
haveconsideredapplyingthehybridisedtermofdigitalIslamicarttodescribetheseartworks.Ihave
alsopresentedexamplesofartworksbyartistsZarahHussain,SamaMaraandSorayaSyedwhohave
alsocombinedtraditionalIslamicaestheticswiththeuseofdigitaltechnologiestoproducehybridart.
InexploringexamplesofdigitalIslamicartworks,Ihaveconsideredthepossibilityofthesebeingan
appositeformofartforexploringandconveyingthetopicsofhybridityinculture.
IncontinuingresearchonthetopicofdigitalIslamicartIproposeastudytounderstandhowhybrid
artworksmightbeinterpretedbythegeneralpublic.AnexhibitionwouldshowcasedigitalIslamic
artworksandwouldincorporatequantitativeandqualitativedataretrievalviaanexitquestionnaire.By
allowingtheaudiencetodescribetheartworkthemselves,therewouldbetheopportunityto
understandifthesetypesofartworksarerecognisedashybridatall,ormerelyidentifedasIslamic,
digital,orevenlessspecifically,asjustcontemporaryart.
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References
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