{"id":4,"date":"2012-02-15T22:58:27","date_gmt":"2012-02-15T22:58:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/stonework\/?p=4"},"modified":"2012-02-15T22:58:27","modified_gmt":"2012-02-15T22:58:27","slug":"masons-calligraphy-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/stonework\/2012\/02\/15\/masons-calligraphy-project\/","title":{"rendered":"Mason&#8217;s Calligraphy Project"},"content":{"rendered":"<p align=\"center\">Calligraphy Project<\/p>\n<p>Mason Hsieh<\/p>\n<p>2\/14\/12<\/p>\n\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 33%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-4 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/stonework\/2012\/02\/15\/masons-calligraphy-project\/img_1900\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/stonework\/files\/2012\/02\/IMG_1900-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/stonework\/2012\/02\/15\/masons-calligraphy-project\/img_1902\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/stonework\/files\/2012\/02\/IMG_1902-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/stonework\/2012\/02\/15\/masons-calligraphy-project\/img_1905\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/stonework\/files\/2012\/02\/IMG_1905-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/stonework\/2012\/02\/15\/masons-calligraphy-project\/img_1907\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/stonework\/files\/2012\/02\/IMG_1907-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl>\n\t\t\t<br style='clear: both' \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>\u201cGod is the light of the heavens and the earth.\u201d (Qur&#8217;an 24:35)<\/p>\n<p>I set my calligraphy of Allah as a three dimensional sundial to highlight God\u2019s role as the creator and controller of both light and time. I focused less on the physical shape of the word \u201cAllah\u201d and more on how the shape changes based on light conditions. This speaks to the idea of God as a subjective form. In the Qur\u2019an there are many links drawn between the Ahl Al-Kitab, or the People of the Book. It is believed that these people; the Jews, Christians and Muslims; all derive their religions from the same divine narrative. Thus, one major goal of my calligraphy project was to embody the belief that God is the same overarching concept manifested into different forms depending on the individual\u2019s perspective. Using light and shadows, the image of \u201cAllah\u201d depends solely on what light is shined on it, and as a metaphorical extension, is shaped by the individual\u2019s religious outlook.<\/p>\n<p>My other goal was to showcase God as a figure that transcends time. On a literal level, the word \u201cAllah\u201d in my calligraphy stands above the clock below, on a separate axis. This represents the idea that God transcends our linear concept of time. Similarly, light determines time. Without light, time does ceases to exist. Following this logic, if God is in fact, \u201cthe light of the heavens and then earth,\u201d then he is the controller of time. However, time measured on a clock or sundial can be seen as a human invention, while light and God are eternal and undying. My ultimate goal was to suggest that much like time, humans attempt to codify the divine. Whether the supreme being is called God, Allah or Yahweh, divinity transcends our concept of it and may just be a small facet which we grasp at and believe we know. <strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Calligraphy Project Mason Hsieh 2\/14\/12 \u201cGod is the light of the heavens and the earth.\u201d (Qur&#8217;an 24:35) I set my calligraphy of Allah as a three dimensional sundial to highlight God\u2019s role as the creator and controller of both light and time. I focused less on the physical shape of the word \u201cAllah\u201d and more [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4530,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/stonework\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/stonework\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/stonework\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/stonework\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4530"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/stonework\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/stonework\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/stonework\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4\/revisions\/12"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/stonework\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/stonework\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/stonework\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}