Islamic wing in Museum of Sacred Art

Mawadah MasryaProfessor Stokrocki

Spring 2015

In the Great Hall of the enter of the Museum of Sacred Art is "Virtual" equivalent of a blockbuster exhibit called Bodhisattva. There are two parts to the exhibit, which are:

-The Central Core consiting of two rooms: an introduction and a Hall of B0dhisattvas

-A circumnavigation space around the core with five spaces dedicated to Avalokitesvara in five different regions and countries. There are two important notecards available at the entrance to the exhibit: one for the exhibit as a whole and one for the Avalokitesvara exhibit.

-In the central hall on the second floor is an exhibit on the "Binding of Isaac”

(http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Bieup/159/17/116).

Context:A mosque has a minaret for the call to prayer. A forecourt contains a place for ritual washing. Inside, a mihrab denotes the qibla wall which indicates the direction of the Kaaba. There are prayer rugs provided for prayer. Finally there is a minbar from which the imam does readings or prayers. It is also used for lectures on the teachings of Islam.

Parts of Islamic Mosque ArchitectureA mosque (masjid in Arabic) is a place for worship in Islam. Although prayers can be done privately, either indoors or outdoors, nearly every community of Muslims dedicates a space or building for congregational prayer. Looking through photographs of mosques around the world, one sees a lot of variation. Building materials and design depend on the culture, heritage, and resources of each local Muslim community. Yet, there are some features that nearly all mosques have in common. The parts of a mosque are practical, and provide both continuity and a sense of tradition among Muslims worldwide.

in the Islamic Sharia law, after an area is formally designated as a mosque, it remains so until the Last Day of life.

Many mosques have elaborate domes, minarets, and prayer halls, in varying styles of architecture. Mosques originated on the Arabian Peninsula, but are now found in all inhabited continents. The mosque serves as a place where Muslims can come together for salat (meaning "prayer) as well as a center for information, education, and dispute settlement. The imam leads the congregation in prayer.

A minaret: is a slim tower rising from a mosque. They vary in height, style, and number. Minarets may be square, round, or octagonal and are usually covered with a pointed roof. Originally used as a high point from which to make the call to prayer (adhan), minarets remain a traditionally decorative feature of most mosques.

Prayer hall: the central area for prayer is called a musalla (literally, "place for prayer"). It is deliberately quite bare. No furniture is needed, as worshippers sit, kneel, and bow directly on the floor. There may be a few chairs or benches to assist elderly or disabled worshippers who have difficulty with mobility. Along the walls and pillars of the prayer hall, there are usually bookshelves to hold copies of the Qur'an, wooden book stands (rihal), other religious reading material, and individual prayer rugs. Beyond this, the prayer hall is otherwise a large, open space.

Prayer rugs: during Islamic prayers, worshippers bow, kneel, and prostrate on the ground in humility before God. The only requirement in Islam is that prayers be performed in an area that is clean. Rugs and carpets have become a traditional way to ensure the cleanliness of the place of prayer, and to provide some cushioning on the floor. In mosques, the prayer area is often covered with large prayer carpets. Smaller prayer rugs may be stacked on a nearby shelf for individual use.

The minbar: is a raised platform in the front area of a mosque, from which sermons or speeches are given. The minbar is usually made of carved wood, stone, or brick. It includes a short staircase leading to the top platform, which is sometimes covered by a small dome.

The mihrab: is a the wall of a mosque that indicates the qibla; that is, the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca and hence the direction that Muslims should face when praying. The wall in which a mihrab appears is thus the "qibla wall” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mihrab).

The mihrab: is an ornamental indentation in the wall of a mosque, which marks the direction of the qiblah. Mihrabs vary in size and color, but are usually shaped like a doorway and decorated with tiles and calligraphy to make the space stand out.

Dome: many mosques are decorated with a dome rooftop, particularly in the Middle East. This architectural element holds no spiritual or symbolic significance, and is purely aesthetic. The interior of a dome is usually highly decorated with floral, geometric and other patterns.

The Hajj is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, and a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by all adult Muslims who are physically and financially capable of undertaking the journey, and can support their family during their absence. It is one of the five pillars of Islam, alongside Shahadah, Salat, Zakat, and Sawm. The gathering during Hajj is considered the largest annual gathering of people in the world. The state of being physically and financially capable of performing. The Hajj is a demonstration of the solidarity of the Muslim people, and their submission to God (Allah). The word Hajj means "to intend a journey", which connotes both the outward act of a journey and the inward act of intentions (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hajj).

History

According to the Sacrifice of Islamic notecard "When the museum was opened in 2008, there were many SL sites for the non-Muslim to learn about Islam including mosques and a virtual hajj. Because of the loss of these sites, the Islamic wing is being redone especially to display the various parts of the mosque. This is not meant to be a virtual mosque; it is a only museum exhibition and is not a place to worship. There are slide shows throughout the mosque space on the parts of the mosque.

One of the five pillars of Islam is the Salat or prayer five times a day. These prayers are directed toward the Kaaba in Mecca. The prayers may be recited anywhere but a mosque is preferable because of the fellowship. Although there is great variation of form in mosques from different parts of the world and through different historical periods, the basic form is standard. Many mosques contain a Qu'ran stand for the Qu'ran.

The exhibit does not contain a discussion about styles. Islam covered a large area from Spain to the Phillipines and to western China. Over the centuries and over such a wide area, there were major artistic styles. The slide shows on the parts of the mosque in the exhibit try to give a taste of them. Each slide show is arranged approximately chronologically.. Of course, the basic elements a and form of the mosque are fairly consistent; it is the decoration and materials which vary from region to region and according to taste" (Museum of Sacred Art, Summer 2014 not card).

Method& Procedure

I used Digital Ethnography in my research and I did three stages, which are data collection, content analysis, and comparative analysis.

Ethnography is the systematic study of people and cultures. It is designed to explore cultural phenomena where the researcher observes society from the point of view of the subject of the study. Ethnography is a means to represent graphically and in writing the culture of a group. It is the presentation of empirical data on human societies and cultures. The typical ethnography is a holistic study and so includes a brief history, and an analysis of the terrain, the climate, and the habitat. (Wikipedia) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnography, and (Hoey, 2008).

Digital ethnography describes the process and methodology of doing ethnographic research in a digital space. The digital field site is sometimes comprised of text, video or images, and may contain social relations and behavior patterns strewn across many nations, cities or intellectual geographies (Bernard, 2005).

Digital ethnography: describes the process and methodology of doing ethnographic research in a digital space. The digital field site is sometimes comprised of text, video or images, and may contain social relations and behavior patterns strewn across many nations, cities or intellectual geographies. The field site may be composed around a singular belief, such as a brand following, or can be a network of dozens or even thousands of different belief patterns, social customs and actions. Large networks such as Facebook and Twitter have their own subgroups and sets of cultures that gravitate towards each other. Like a traditional anthropologist, the main concern of a digital ethnographer is locating the field site and learning the language of the natives. The difference is that the anthropologist may be able to access the field site without physical travel. In many cases, the fieldsite may be a mental construct created by a group of geographically distributed nodes on an information network (Bernard, 2005).

Stages: For data collection: I was be a partial participant and part observer, I interviewed people by using Second Life chat, Email, and Facebook. I asked some questions, take note, photos, and tape record interviews. The purpose of data collection is to obtain information to keep on record, to make decisions about important issues, or to pass information on to others.

Step two is Content Analysis: I will breakdown changes in categories over time. This step involved “discovering logical patterns and social structure” (Stokrocki, 1997).

In the third step, comparative analysis: I will compare my study with other studies.

Research questions

What artwork forms and methods do they use?

What does their artwork mean – expressions? Why?

Where are they from?

How do they do it? (Materials and techniques)? Color choice, subject matter, etc?

Artists:

I interviewed Adams Dubrovna.

He is the creator and the owner of the museum. He works in an image library and teach a course at Rutgers University and trained as an art historian in real life. He had some courses in Islamic architecture as a graduate student.

Data collection

1-Where are you from?

[15:07] Loading...: 1) I live in New Jersey

2-What kind of art you do?

[15:07] Loading...: 2) I am not an artist. I am trained as an art historian

3-What kind artist you are in real life?

[15:07] Loading...: I work in an image library and teach a course at Rutgers University.

I had some courses in Islamic architecture as a graduate student.

[15:08] Loading...: 4-What is your favorite Islamic piece in the Islamic wing? Why?

[15:09] Loading...: I don't think I have a favorite piece. I do like Ottoman architecture.

5-How you make it?

6-Why you make it?

the exhibit is more pictures than objects but I did make the fountain and minbar

Minbar

Fountain

[15:09] Loading...: Second Life used to have many wonderful Islamic teaching sites

[15:10] Loading...:7- Collaborate with whom? 8-What are the subject matter parts?

[15:10] Loading...: These included a model of the hajj.As a non-Muslim I found this really wonderful and informative

[15:11] Loading...: 9-What are the materials?

[15:11] Loading...: Unfortunately all of these sites are gone so I decided to redesign the Islamic wing to represent the interior of a mosque.the materials are prims; the items are all virtual[15:11] Loading...: I the textures are pictures.

[15:12] Loading...: 10-What does this artwork mean to you?

11-What symbols do you use?

12-What do the colors symbolize?

As you may have seen on the note card the mosque is not for worship but rather a schematic mosque to inform the non-Muslim of the mosque parts.

[15:13] Loading...: 13-Why is this work important?

[15:13] Loading...: Maybe I should start with the museum.

[15:13] Loading...: The purpose of the museum is to create understanding between the various traditions.

[15:14] Loading...: that is rather optimistic but the museum is to inform.

[15:14] Loading...: to instill respect

[15:15] Loading...: 14-Analysis of the principles of design (repetition, unified, symmetrical, geometric)?

the art is a bit didactic in that it's purpose is teaching.

[15:15] Loading...: the Islamic exhibit does not go into geometry although that is important.

[15:16] Loading...: it would be a nice idea for another exhibit :)

[15:16] Loading...: 15- How are parts arranged? Make relationship-repeat lines, shapes, color, and patterns to make an artwork more interesting.

[15:17] Loading...: the exhibits are not about creating art but informing about art. The art works for the most part are illustrations

[15:17] Loading...: for example the Sacrifice of Isaac/Ishmael exhibit is more about the stories than the art

[15:18] Loading...: I know I did not answer all of them but the museum is not about my creations

[15:19] Loading...: you did my important part:)

[15:19] Loading...: 16- How did you feel I did with the mosqur exhibit. Other than geometry, did I leave anything out?

[15:20] Loading...: you did very good job, its realy same in real life, happy to see Islamic art

[15:21] Loading...: people don't know much about Islamic art

[15:21] Loading...: it is important for us all to understand one another

[15:21] Loading...: as much as possible.

Islamic wing in Museum of Sacred Art, Art Criticism QuestionsContent Analysis

Internal Comparative AnalysisAll participants (3/3) agreed: subject matter (religious), shapes dominate (geometric), materials (wood and wool), kind of balance (symmetrical), space arranged (3D), colors arranged (warm), sound (quiet), and meaning and judgment (religious).

Two out of three agreed: lines dominate (straight), major patterns (soft and smooth), shapes arranged (symmetrical), colors predominantly (both and dull), color harmony ( analogous), and color symbolize (nature).

Three was not agreement: art form, value, brush strokes, colors emotionally feel, taste, smell, title, symbols, and work mean for people today.

Comparative Analysis:My work was similar to Taiwan Second Life Adventures: Interviews with Avatars study “Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself” painting because we followed Qualitative research stages and Art Criticism to discover and understand the art work that we discussed. Understanding Art Criticism was helpful because art critics can be a communication tool by using four steps, which are description, analysis, interpretation, and judgment.

It is different because “Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself” is a painting, but “Sacrifice of Isaac” is about historical architecture.

Conclusions:

Museums are the places where people meet, debate, and discuss the issues pertinent to their community. They give opportunities to increase human knowledge and establish the behaviour of comparing the knowledge obtained. Museums are important because we can't contact directly with all cultures and places. In museums, we can connect with other cultures and know a lot about their history, tradition, culture, ethnicity, sex, and heritage. Museums have significant effects in human development, awareness, and education. Children are the most important category in society, and they need to prepare for the future. museums are a way to document history by showing the past, and how we live today, and where we can be in the future. They give us the opportunity for new generations to understand something about themselves and others such as, history, diverse culture, values, ethnic, and tradition. In conclusion, Multicultural museums will give good effects for the future. In the modern societies, individuals will expected to have interaction with different cultural groups and to develop positive attitudes in their interaction.

Second Life has its benefits compared to Real life. It makes easy way to communicate with other cultures. As we saw in Museum of Sacred Art how it's explain the Islamic wing with its history. It has many significant information that describe architecture, Muslims, religion, and history . the artworks in Second Life are becoming potentially more accessible to a greater and far more diverse audience/viewers. In Second Life, people can recognize new things that are same to real life.

References: Bernard, Russ. Research Methods In Anthropology: Qualitative And Quantitative. Altamira Press. December 22, 2005.

Ethnography (Wikipedia) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnography.

 Hoey, B. (2008). What is Ethnography? Hoey, B. (2013). What is ethnography? Updated 02 November 2013 by Brian A. Hoey

http://www.public.asu.edu/~ifmls/Visualculturefolder/qualformsarted.htm.

(http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Bieup/159/17/116).

Hajj (Wikipedia) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hajj.

Liao, C. (2007). Avatars, second life and new media art. The challenge for contemporary art education. Art Education, 61(2), 87-91.

Mihrab (Wikipedia) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mihrab

Parts of Islamic Mosque ArchitectureBy: , Huda. http://islam.about.com/od/mosques/tp/architecture_parts.htm.

Stokrocki, M. (1997). Qualitative forms of research methods. In S. D. La Pierre, & E. Zimmerman (Eds.). Research methods and methodologies for art education (pp. 33-56). Reston, VA: NAEA. Retrieved from.