This work ruminates on the relationship between religion and spirituality in the digital era. In Sufism it is very difficult to explain the true meaning of the Arabic word Nur (light). Light is the purest entity that exists. In Sufi texts the Divine, described Itself as being Nur. Sufi texts say that true inspiration comes from knowledge, which comes from Nur enlightening an individual’s heart.
Nonetheless, the Prophet Muhammed, alayhi as-salām (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ), says there are 70,000 veils of light and darkness separating an individual from the Divine. Sufis understand these veils to refer to the degrees to which the Divine is beyond description and imagination.
This work took me approximately 10 years to make and involved manipulating 10,000 photos to decipher 70,000 digital layers, which were then reconstructed to create 1000 composited 3D video sequences displayed across the 96 LED TV monitors you see here.
In universal terms this work speaks to the mysteries of life. When we install the work and you have put on the 3D glasses we hope that you get a sense of being enveloped by it, or of passing through a veil or a threshold. You will see images that are like memories to me, including images of art and daily life that I photographed on my travels and here at home.