• The classic study of the cosmological principles found in the patterns of Islamic art and how they relate to sacred geometry and the perennial philosophy. • 150 color and black-and-white drawings of Islamic patterns. • Explains how these patterns guide the mind from the mundane world of appearances to its underlying reality. For centuries the nature and meaning of Islamic art has been wrongly regarded in the West as mere decoration. In truth, because the portrayal of human and animal forms has always been discouraged on Islamic religious principles that forbid idolatry, the abstract art of Islam represents the sophisticated development of a nonnaturalistic tradition. Through this tradition, Islamic art has maintained its chief aim: the affirmation of unity as expressed in diversity. In this fascinating study the author explores the idea that unlike medieval Christian art, in which the polarization of such forms and patterns was relegated to a background against which to set sacred images, the geometrical patterns of Islamic art can reveal the intrinsic cosmological laws affecting all creation. Their primary function is to guide the mind from the mundane world of appearances toward its underlying reality. Numerous drawings connect the art of Islam to the Pythagorean science of mathematics, and through these images we can see how an Earth-centered view of the cosmos provides renewed significance to those number patterns produced by the orbits of the planets. The author shows the essential philosophical and practical basis of every art creation--whether a tile, carpet, or wall--and how this use of mathematical tessellations affirms the essential unity of all things. An invaluable study for all those interested in sacred art, Islamic Patterns is also a rich source of inspiration for artists and designers.

Roman Signer is an artist like no other. Although he identifies himself as a sculptor, he is best known for actions in which simple materials (rockets, balloons, rushing water) react with natural forces to yield surprisingly lyrical results. Part mad scientist, part sorcerer's apprentice, part Buster Keaton, Signer often appears in these actions, sometimes at considerable risk to himself. The real star of his works, however, is time. In works such as Sandbag with Timed Detonator (1988), an auto-destructive device featuring a plastic alarm clock that releases a heavy sandbag hanging above it, two periods of tranquil rest are bridged by an instant of sudden violence. In others the change is more gradual, as in Action with a Fuse (1989), a twenty kilometre, thirty-five day 'time sculpture' in which two hundred lengths of fuse burned a path to Signer's current hometown from the village of his youth In the Interview, Paula Van Den Bosch speaks to the artist about the origins of his interest in art and explosives. Gerhard Mack's Survey traces the key themes in a career that spans four decades, from the artist's early experiments with elemental materials to his large-scale explosive actions. In the Focus, Jeremy Millar visits the artist in Switzerland to retrace the path of the epic 1989 Action with a Fuse.

Blending memoir with Smith's own drawings and paintings, We Did Porn will do for alt porn what Hunter S. Thompson did for motorcycle gangs and Tom Wolfe for psychedelica. Punk artist and icon Zak Smith made a name for himself by visually re-creating Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow and drawing pictures of girls in the "naked girl business." His artistic pedigree and acute observation landed him in high-profile shows from the Whitney to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Somewhere along the line, Smith went from the observer to the observed, from the guy in the corner with a sketchpad to the guy on-screen doing the unnamable for anyone eighteen or older to see. We Did Porn follows Zak Smith (or Zak Sabbath) from the New York art scene to Los Angeles's seedy, yet colorful, underbelly?the world of alt porn. Smith narrates his own foray into pornography and gives his readers a new understanding of the industry, its players, and its audience.

More than two hundred photographs and illustrations highlight a guide to the author's unique methods and techniques of assemblage art, accompanied by a fresh variety of creative mixed-media projects and techniques for assemblage and surface alterations. Original.

Although there are many volumes that explore the life of Christ, this one is unique, relying exclusively on stunning woodcut prints in place of text. Eloquent in its simplicity, it offers 71 black-and-white illustrations — from the Annunciation of Mary to Christ's ascension into heaven — in a moving retelling of the greatest story ever told.

Presents a collection of more than 250 classic covers from the Batman comic book series.

Art and Spiritual Transformation presents a seven-stage journey of transformation from the darkened soul to the light of spiritual illumination, revealing the primal role of art in liberating the soul. Includes a meditation practice to experience the spiritual energy in art.

Shows horses and menagerie animals carved out of wood for American and European carousels, traces the history of carousel rides, and looks at some prominent manufacturers

A collection of essays by the author of Ain't I a Woman? expresses her beliefs about the sacred values of education, the spiritual role of teachers, racism and sexism in the classroom, and the part played by education in personal freedom. Original. IP.