Naẓar: The Question of Vision in Islamic Art and Architecture

Key information

Date
Time
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Venue
Virtual Event

About this event

Samer Akkach

Abstract

Naẓar , literally ‘vision’, is a unique Arabic-Islamic term/concept that offers an analytical framework for exploring the ways in which Islamic visual culture and aesthetic sensibility have been shaped by common conceptual tools and moral parameters. It intertwines the act of ‘seeing’ with the act of ‘reflecting’, thereby bringing the visual and cognitive functions into a complex relationship. Within the folds of this multifaceted relationship lies an entangled web of religious ideas, moral values, aesthetic preferences, scientific precepts, and socio-cultural understandings that underlie the intricacy of one’s personal belief. Peering through the lens of naẓar , this seminar will shed light on aspects of these entanglements to provide insights into how vision, belief, and perception shape the rich Islamic visual culture and underlie the production of Islamic art and architecture.

Registration : To register and to receive a Zoom link to access the seminar, please contact Matty Bradley by 19 January via:

Contact email: mb@royalasiaticsociety.org