Octagonal Meditations, 2018

And the angels will be on its sides, and eight will, that Day, bear the Throne of thy Lord above them.

– Quran 69:17

And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace be unto you.”  

– John 20:26

Eight is numerically significant in the stories, history, art, and architecture of Islam and Christianity. According to the Muslim tradition, eight angels bear the throne of God and the Prophet Muhammad revealed that there are eight gates to heaven. In Christianity there are eight beatitudes, the risen Christ appears to his disciples on the eighth day, and he appears a total of eight times after his resurrection. Both traditions offer multiple examples of the use of eight and share grounding in the Judaic use of eight found in the old testament and Torah, wherein Noah had eight with him on the arc, and the feast of the Tabernacle occurred on the eight day.

Eight is centrally important to living sights of both Islamic and Christian worship in Istanbul, Turkey, where I travelled with the support of a research grant from Ohio University. Istanbul’s architecture in particular demonstrates the adaptation of Christian architectural forms into Islam as it initially spread throughout the region (most notably seen in Hagia Sophia). As I visited, the use of the octagon was a source of inspiration…mediation—found in complex architectural forms, infinite patterning in carved wood, stone, ceramics, textiles, and illuminated manuscripts. It is a testament to the power of geometry, particularly in the case of these two great living Faiths, where it not only generates mesmerizing forms, but where it also symbolically expresses deeper theological meanings for the faithful.

 Eight is figuratively central to the work presented in this exhibition, which draws from the architectural spaces, decorative arts, and illuminated manuscripts of both Faith traditions. My work is not meant as a commentary, but is intended as thoughtful and playful meditations which reverence these great religious histories and living traditions.

The sample of work included on this page were part of an invited solo exhibition at the Contemporary Art Center of Peoria, IL, 2017, and a juried group show at the ROY G BIV Gallery in partnership with Columbus Metropolitan Library’s Carnegie Gallery, Columbus, OH, 2017.