Implications of Digital Technology for the Purpose and Perception of Islamic Art

Saigh, Ali and Gere, Charlie (2025) Implications of Digital Technology for the Purpose and Perception of Islamic Art. PhD thesis, Lancaster University.

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Abstract

Digital technology has implications for art resulting in new artistic practices including digital or new media art. Implications include artistic purposes and audience perceptions. Islamic art and the implications of digital technology for its purpose and perception is particularly relevant because there is a strong association between the two, to the extent that digital art has its genealogy in Islamic art. Islamic art has a well-recognised traditional form with technological foundations that includes the use of geometry stemming from conditions of the Islamic faith including prescriptive rules and religiously appropriate ways of recognising and representing creational mechanisms and ultimately the Creator. Islamic art is designed to invoke religious experiences and bring the viewer to the Creator. This study is concerned with Islamic art that is acceptable to Sunni Islamic doctrine and includes geometric patterns, arabesques, murqanas and calligraphy and the implications that digital technology has had for the religious purpose and perception of this art, specifically, digital Islamic art. To date there has been little consideration of these implications for Islamic art, this is important because Islamic art has witnessed a paradigm shift away from traditional religious form and purpose. Unfortunately, there have been limitations in the approaches to understanding Islamic art, including orientalism with a geographic and temporal approach where religious meaning is often neglected, and perennial philosophy while considering the Islamic faith, has relegated Islamic art to a romantic past. These approaches are not suitable for considering Islamic art in a modern digital context and revealing the associated religious implications. Furthermore, the perennialists used Sufism in their interpretations which deviates from the Sunni orthodox doctrine of the Prophet Mohammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم(. In response the study contributes a Sunni orthodox approach for revealing the implications of digital technology for the purpose and perception of Islamic art.