Dates: 1 - 4 June
Schedule: Daily, 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm EST / 5 pm - 6:30 pm UK
Format: Live online, Zoom
Places are limited
This live online short course will introduce participants to the art and architecture of the Islamic lands in the 8th-10th centuries.
These sessions will cover broad historical context as well as the defining art and architecture of the major caliphal dynasties of what is generally described as Islamic societies' 'Golden Age' or 'classical' period.
There is a limit of 8 participants per class in order to foster conversation, create a cohort, and leave time to address individual questions and areas of interest.
We also offer this training for game design & development schools and industry teams. Email info@digitallabivcc.com with group size, ideal times and dates for a private session, any additional requests (certificate of attendance, etc), and contact name and email and we'll follow up directly.
“What began as a deep dive into visual culture turned into something much more—an emotional and intellectual spark that reignited why I started building my current game in the first place.”
— Mohammad D.
Meet your instructor
History & Education Coordinator
Sarah is a specialist in medieval Islamic art and history and the material culture of medieval al-Andalus (Spain and Portugal). She is currently a Postdoctoral Associate in Medieval Islamic Art, Art History and Archaeology at the University of Maryland, having previously worked at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore. Sarah's experience is grounded in her work on the consultancy and collaboration with Ubisoft and the DLIVCC internal games projects, including our R&D collaboration with Ubisoft World Design Director Maxime Durand. In addition, she brings 10+ years in the classroom, research with medieval Arabic language sources, and ongoing work in archaeology. These provide her with unique approaches to teaching the art, architecture, and archaeology of early Islamic empire for students and professionals in games and entertainment.
"I enjoyed the wealth of information. Sarah is very knowledgeable and passionate about the history. I especially appreciated how she connected the cultural influences and how they moved through each time period. Knowing that certain architecture like mosques are built from different cultural contributions was really important to be able to design landmarks for particular time periods."
"I personally enjoyed learning about patterns, details and symbolism in each time different time periods. It was also interesting to see how the art and architecture progressed between each dynasty and how each dynasty adapted their artwork based on the prior period."
"The experience was great! I especially enjoyed how the sessions linked historical figures and events with specific locations and timelines. I was surprised by the use of human and animal figures in early Islamic art. A more focused series on specific periods, like the Umayyads, would make it even richer. For example, this period alone could easily deserve four sessions to explore in more depth"
"Sarah’s genuine passion and enthusiasm for the material truly resonated with me. It came through in every session which made the content feel captivating and inspiring. The course offered a well-rounded exploration of architecture and artworks, and I especially enjoyed learning about the Abbasids and the architectural details of Samarra."
"The instructor Sarah is so knowledgeable and has amazing relevant experience for gaming."