The Islamic wing of the Museum of Sacred Art is being recreated in Second Life to educate visitors about Islamic architecture and mosques. It contains exhibits on the different parts of a mosque like the minaret, mihrab, minbar, and prayer hall through slideshows and virtual recreations. The creator designed the wing because many original Islamic teaching sites in Second Life were lost. The wing is not meant as a place for worship but rather to inform non-Muslims about mosque design and symbolism in a virtual space.

1. Islamic wing in
Museum of
Sacred Art
Mawadah Masrya
Professor Stokrocki
Spring 2015

2. In the Great Hall of the enter of the Museum of Sacred Art is "Virtual" equivalent of
a blockbuster exhibit called Bodhisattva. There are two parts to the exhibit, which
are:
-The Central Core consiting of two rooms: an introduction and a Hall of B0dhisattvas
-A circumnavigation space around the core with five spaces dedicated to
Avalokitesvara in five different regions and countries. There are two important
notecards available at the entrance to the exhibit: one for the exhibit as a whole and
one for the Avalokitesvara exhibit.
-In the central hall on the second floor is an exhibit on the "Binding of Isaac”

3. Context:
A mosque has a minaret for the call to prayer. A forecourt contains a place
for ritual washing. Inside, a mihrab denotes the qibla wall which indicates the
direction of the Kaaba. There are prayer rugs provided for prayer. Finally
there is a minbar from which the imam does readings or prayers. It is also
used for lectures on the teachings of Islam.

4. Parts of Islamic Mosque Architecture
A mosque (masjid in Arabic) is a place for worship in Islam. Although
prayers can be done privately, either indoors or outdoors, nearly every
community of Muslims dedicates a space or building for
congregational prayer. Looking through photographs of mosques
around the world, one sees a lot of variation. Building materials and
design depend on the culture, heritage, and resources of each local
Muslim community. Yet, there are some features that nearly all
mosques have in common. The parts of a mosque are practical, and
provide both continuity and a sense of tradition among Muslims
worldwide.
in the Islamic Sharia law, after an area is formally designated as a
mosque, it remains so until the Last Day of life.
Many mosques have elaborate domes, minarets, and prayer halls, in
varying styles of architecture. Mosques originated on the Arabian
Peninsula, but are now found in all inhabited continents. The mosque
serves as a place where Muslims can come together for salat
(meaning "prayer) as well as a center for information, education, and
dispute settlement. The imam leads the congregation in prayer.

5. A minaret: is a slim tower rising from a
mosque. They vary in height, style, and
number. Minarets may be square, round, or
octagonal and are usually covered with a
pointed roof. Originally used as a high point
from which to make the call to prayer (adhan),
minarets remain a traditionally decorative
feature of most mosques.
Prayer hall: the central area for prayer is
called a musalla (literally, "place for prayer").
It is deliberately quite bare. No furniture is
needed, as worshippers sit, kneel, and bow
directly on the floor. There may be a few
chairs or benches to assist elderly or disabled
worshippers who have difficulty with mobility.
Along the walls and pillars of the prayer hall,
there are usually bookshelves to hold copies
of the Qur'an, wooden book stands (rihal),
other religious reading material, and
individual prayer rugs. Beyond this, the prayer
hall is otherwise a large, open space.

6. Prayer rugs: during Islamic prayers,
worshippers bow, kneel, and prostrate on the
ground in humility before God. The only
requirement in Islam is that prayers be
performed in an area that is clean. Rugs and
carpets have become a traditional way to
ensure the cleanliness of the place of prayer,
and to provide some cushioning on the floor.
In mosques, the prayer area is often covered
with large prayer carpets. Smaller prayer rugs
may be stacked on a nearby shelf for
individual use.
The minbar: is a raised platform in the front
area of a mosque, from which sermons or
speeches are given. The minbar is usually
made of carved wood, stone, or brick. It
includes a short staircase leading to the top
platform, which is sometimes covered by a
small dome.

7. The mihrab: is a the wall of a mosque that
indicates the qibla; that is, the direction of the
Kaaba in Mecca and hence the direction that
Muslims should face when praying. The wall in
which a mihrab appears is thus the "qibla wall”
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mihrab).
The mihrab: is an ornamental indentation in
the wall of a mosque, which marks the direction
of the qiblah. Mihrabs vary in size and color, but
are usually shaped like a doorway and
decorated with tiles and calligraphy to make the
space stand out.
Dome: many mosques are decorated with a
dome rooftop, particularly in the Middle East.
This architectural element holds no spiritual or
symbolic significance, and is purely aesthetic.
The interior of a dome is usually highly
decorated with floral, geometric and other
patterns.

8. The Hajj is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, and a
mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried out at
least once in their lifetime by all adult Muslims who are
physically and financially capable of undertaking the journey,
and can support their family during their absence. It is one of the
five pillars of Islam, alongside Shahadah, Salat, Zakat, and
Sawm. The gathering during Hajj is considered the largest
annual gathering of people in the world. The state of being
physically and financially capable of performing. The Hajj is a
demonstration of the solidarity of the Muslim people, and their
submission to God (Allah). The word Hajj means "to intend a
journey", which connotes both the outward act of a journey and
the inward act of intentions (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hajj).

9. History
According to the Sacrifice of Islamic notecard "When the museum was
opened in 2008, there were many SL sites for the non-Muslim to learn about
Islam including mosques and a virtual hajj. Because of the loss of these sites,
the Islamic wing is being redone especially to display the various parts of the
mosque. This is not meant to be a virtual mosque; it is a only museum
exhibition and is not a place to worship. There are slide shows throughout the
mosque space on the parts of the mosque.
One of the five pillars of Islam is the Salat or prayer five times a day. These
prayers are directed toward the Kaaba in Mecca. The prayers may be recited
anywhere but a mosque is preferable because of the fellowship. Although there
is great variation of form in mosques from different parts of the world and
through different historical periods, the basic form is standard. Many mosques
contain a Qu'ran stand for the Qu'ran.
The exhibit does not contain a discussion about styles. Islam covered a
large area from Spain to the Phillipines and to western China. Over the
centuries and over such a wide area, there were major artistic styles. The slide
shows on the parts of the mosque in the exhibit try to give a taste of them. Each
slide show is arranged approximately chronologically.. Of course, the basic
elements a and form of the mosque are fairly consistent; it is the decoration and
materials which vary from region to region and according to taste" (Museum of
Sacred Art, Summer 2014 not card).

10. Method& Procedure
I used Digital Ethnography in my research and I did three stages, which are
data collection, content analysis, and comparative analysis.
Ethnography is the systematic study of people and cultures. It is designed to
explore cultural phenomena where the researcher observes society from the
point of view of the subject of the study. Ethnography is a means to
represent graphically and in writing the culture of a group. It is the
presentation of empirical data on human societies and cultures. The typical
ethnography is a holistic study and so includes a brief history, and an analysis
of the terrain, the climate, and the habitat. (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnography, and (Hoey, 2008).
Digital ethnography describes the process and methodology of doing
ethnographic research in a digital space. The digital field site is
sometimes comprised of text, video or images, and may contain social
relations and behavior patterns strewn across many nations, cities or
intellectual geographies (Bernard, 2005).

11. Digital ethnography: describes the process and methodology of doing
ethnographic research in a digital space. The digital field site is sometimes
comprised of text, video or images, and may contain social relations and
behavior patterns strewn across many nations, cities or intellectual
geographies. The field site may be composed around a singular belief, such
as a brand following, or can be a network of dozens or even thousands of
different belief patterns, social customs and actions. Large networks such as
Facebook and Twitter have their own subgroups and sets of cultures that
gravitate towards each other. Like a traditional anthropologist, the main
concern of a digital ethnographer is locating the field site and learning the
language of the natives. The difference is that the anthropologist may be
able to access the field site without physical travel. In many cases, the
fieldsite may be a mental construct created by a group of geographically
distributed nodes on an information network (Bernard, 2005).

12. Stages:
For data collection: I was be a partial participant and part observer, I
interviewed people by using Second Life chat, Email, and Facebook. I asked
some questions, take note, photos, and tape record interviews. The purpose
of data collection is to obtain information to keep on record, to make
decisions about important issues, or to pass information on to others.
Step two is Content Analysis: I will breakdown changes in categories over
time. This step involved “discovering logical patterns and social structure”
(Stokrocki, 1997).
In the third step, comparative analysis: I will compare my study with other
studies.

13. Research questions
What artwork forms and
methods do they use?
What does their artwork mean –
expressions? Why?
Where are they from?
How do they do it? (Materials
and techniques)? Color choice,
subject matter, etc?

14. Artists:
I interviewed Adams Dubrovna.
He is the creator and the owner of
the museum. He works in an
image library and teach a course
at Rutgers University and trained
as an art historian in real life. He
had some courses in Islamic
architecture as a graduate
student.

15. Data collection

16. 1-Where are you from?
[15:07] Loading...: 1) I live in New Jersey
2-What kind of art you do?
[15:07] Loading...: 2) I am not an artist. I am trained
as an art historian
3-What kind artist you are in real life?
[15:07] Loading...: I work in an image library and
teach a course at Rutgers University.
I had some courses in Islamic architecture as a
graduate student.
[15:08] Loading...: 4-What is your favorite Islamic
piece in the Islamic wing? Why?
[15:09] Loading...: I don't think I have a favorite piece.
I do like Ottoman architecture.
5-How you make it?
6-Why you make it?
the exhibit is more pictures than objects but I did
make the fountain and minbar
Minbar
Fountain

17. [15:09] Loading...: Second Life used to have many wonderful Islamic
teaching sites
[15:10] Loading...:7- Collaborate with whom? 8-What are the subject matter
parts?
[15:10] Loading...: These included a model of the hajj.
As a non-Muslim I found this really wonderful and informative
[15:11] Loading...: 9-What are the materials?
[15:11] Loading...: Unfortunately all of these sites are gone so I decided
to redesign the Islamic wing to represent the interior of a mosque.
the materials are prims; the items are all virtual
[15:11] Loading...: I the textures are pictures.
[15:12] Loading...: 10-What does this artwork mean to you?
11-What symbols do you use?
12-What do the colors symbolize?

18. As you may have seen on the note card the mosque is not for worship
but rather a schematic mosque to inform the non-Muslim of the
mosque parts.
[15:13] Loading...: 13-Why is this work important?
[15:13] Loading...: Maybe I should start with the museum.
[15:13] Loading...: The purpose of the museum is to create
understanding between the various traditions.
[15:14] Loading...: that is rather optimistic but the museum is to inform.
[15:14] Loading...: to instill respect
[15:15] Loading...: 14-Analysis of the principles of design (repetition,
unified, symmetrical, geometric)?
the art is a bit didactic in that it's purpose is teaching.
[15:15] Loading...: the Islamic exhibit does not go into geometry
although that is important.

19. [15:16] Loading...: it would be a nice idea for another exhibit :)
[15:16] Loading...: 15- How are parts arranged? Make relationship-repeat lines,
shapes, color, and patterns to make an artwork more interesting.
[15:17] Loading...: the exhibits are not about creating art but informing about art.
The art works for the most part are illustrations
[15:17] Loading...: for example the Sacrifice of Isaac/Ishmael exhibit is more about
the stories than the art
[15:18] Loading...: I know I did not answer all of them but the museum is not about
my creations
[15:19] Loading...: you did my important part:)
[15:19] Loading...: 16- How did you feel I did with the mosqur exhibit. Other than
geometry, did I leave anything out?
[15:20] Loading...: you did very good job, its realy same in real life, happy to see
Islamic art
[15:21] Loading...: people don't know much about Islamic art
[15:21] Loading...: it is important for us all to understand one another
[15:21] Loading...: as much as possible.

20. Islamic wing in Museum of Sacred Art, Art Criticism Questions
Content Analysis

24. Internal Comparative Analysis
All participants (3/3) agreed: subject
matter (religious), shapes dominate
(geometric), materials (wood and
wool), kind of balance (symmetrical),
space arranged (3D), colors arranged
(warm), sound (quiet), and meaning
and judgment (religious).
Two out of three agreed: lines
dominate (straight), major patterns
(soft and smooth), shapes arranged
(symmetrical), colors predominantly
(both and dull), color harmony (
analogous), and color symbolize
(nature).
Three was not agreement: art form,
value, brush strokes, colors
emotionally feel, taste, smell, title,
symbols, and work mean for people

25. Comparative
Analysis:
My work was similar to Taiwan Second Life Adventures: Interviews with Avatars
study “Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself” painting because
we followed Qualitative research stages and Art Criticism to discover and
understand the art work that we discussed. Understanding Art Criticism was
helpful because art critics can be a communication tool by using four steps, which
are description, analysis, interpretation, and judgment.
It is different because “Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself” is
a painting, but “Sacrifice of Isaac” is about historical architecture.

26. Conclusions:
Museums are the places where people meet, debate, and discuss the
issues pertinent to their community. They give opportunities to
increase human knowledge and establish the behaviour of comparing
the knowledge obtained. Museums are important because we can't
contact directly with all cultures and places. In museums, we can
connect with other cultures and know a lot about their history, tradition,
culture, ethnicity, sex, and heritage. Museums have significant effects
in human development, awareness, and education. Children are the
most important category in society, and they need to prepare for the
future. museums are a way to document history by showing the past,
and how we live today, and where we can be in the future. They give
us the opportunity for new generations to understand something about
themselves and others such as, history, diverse culture, values, ethnic,
and tradition. In conclusion, Multicultural museums will give good
effects for the future. In the modern societies, individuals will expected
to have interaction with different cultural groups and to develop
positive attitudes in their interaction.

27. Second Life has its benefits compared to Real life. It makes easy way to
communicate with other cultures. As we saw in Museum of Sacred Art how
it's explain the Islamic wing with its history. It has many significant
information that describe architecture, Muslims, religion, and history . the
artworks in Second Life are becoming potentially more accessible to a
greater and far more diverse audience/viewers. In Second Life, people can
recognize new things that are same to real life.

28. References:
Bernard, Russ. Research Methods In Anthropology: Qualitative And
Quantitative. Altamira Press. December 22, 2005.
Ethnography (Wikipedia) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnography.
Hoey, B. (2008). What is Ethnography? Hoey, B. (2013). What is ethnography?
Updated 02 November 2013 by Brian A. Hoey
http://www.public.asu.edu/~ifmls/Visualculturefolder/qualformsarted.htm.
(http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Bieup/159/17/116).
Hajj (Wikipedia) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hajj.
Liao, C. (2007). Avatars, second life and new media art. The challenge for
contemporary art education. Art Education, 61(2), 87-91.
Mihrab (Wikipedia) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mihrab
Parts of Islamic Mosque ArchitectureBy: , Huda.
http://islam.about.com/od/mosques/tp/architecture_parts.htm.
Stokrocki, M. (1997). Qualitative forms of research methods. In S. D. La Pierre,
& E. Zimmerman (Eds.). Research methods and methodologies for art
education (pp. 33-56). Reston, VA: NAEA. Retrieved from.