Facilitated by Resident Scholar, Razieh Ghorbani

Saturdays, January 10 - February 7, 3:00PM - 4:30PM

Full Registration: $50 (5-weeks) | Free for students with valid ID

What might “Islamic design” mean today, beyond the familiar repertoire of arches, domes, and patterns? This course explores that question by treating Islamic design as the practice of arranging spaces with intention (niyyah). In Islamic thought, intention is the orientation of the heart that gives actions their moral and spiritual form: it can turn ordinary acts into worship and transform a neutral or self-centered world into one oriented toward the Creator. Tied to sincerity and presence, intention is how a human life is consciously aligned with a world the Qur’an describes as already in remembrance (dhikr), where trees, mountains, and skies are in constant worship. The seminar asks whether intention can operate as a spatial framework and design approach. Can we invite alignment with the ecology of remembrance by thinking of corners, rooms, and courtyards as spaces of contemplation, purpose, and care?

January 10 | Week 1: Orientation, Turning, Direction

Designing everyday spaces and rituals as acts of reorientation toward the Divine

January 17 | Week 2: Thresholds, Borders, Passages

Rethinking spatial thresholds as intentional passages between worlds and different intensities of presence

January 24 | Week 3: Light, Color, Ornament, and Texture

The choreography of the visible elements of space and view towards a visual prayer

January 31 | Week 4: Air, Sound, and Other Atmospheres

Designing with the “unseen” currents of the world towards an atmospheric prayer

February 7 | Week 5: Visual Prayer, Present gaze, and Qur’anic Ways of Seeing

Exploring the possibilities of “seeing” and “encountering” with intention and reflection

Image: “The Qibla in the Room,” Illustration by Razieh Ghorbani