Islamic Art: Mirror of the Invisible World

2011     1 x 90     Color: HD     English

Executive Producers
Alex Kronemer, Michael Wolfe

Producer and Director
Rob Gardner

Few things allow us a clearer window into the richness and complexity of a culture than its art and architecture. This is especially true of the creative legacy of Islam, a civilization that spans more than 1400 years across one-quarter of the globe. From the marble grace of the Taj Mahal in India to the monumental log-studded adobe mosque of Djenne, Mali; from the delicately carved ivory boxes of Cordoba Spain to the majestic knotted carpets of Safavid Persia.

Islamic Art: Mirror of the Invisible World takes a thematic approach to carry audiences on an intimate journey to nine countries and across several centuries to experience some of the greatest art and architecture of the Muslim world. Moving camera platforms take audiences into the buildings and round the objects, while an assembly of international art historians provides context and lively analysis. This exquisitely photographed HD special explores and celebrates the great richness of Islamic art, peering into extraordinary palaces ornamented with exquisite textiles, ceramics, and paintings, capturing the play of light and space in mosques of every variety and location and admiring delicate carvings revealing the sheen of gold and silverwork, rock crystal and precious gems. Narrated by Academy Award winning performer, Susan Sarandon.