Unity in Multiplicity: The Sacred Patterns of Islamic Geometry

Part of the Liturgical Arts Festival of Springfield. Join the LAFS for a brief Introduction and workshop on Islamic geometric patterns. Geometric patterns make up one of the three non-figural types of decoration in Islamic art, which includes calligraphy and arabesque floral pattern. In the Islamic world, they symbolize the infinite; convey spirituality without the figurative iconography. Geometry creates unity, order and harmony, which is consistent with Islamic belief that all creation is harmoniously interrelated. By 1453 Muslim architects were designing quasi-crystalline symmetrical tile patterns that were not described in western science, (Penrose tiling) until 1970.