BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

THE public are invited to attend a lecture on ‘Malay and Islamic Arts: Unity in Diversity’ presented by a professor from University Brunei Darussalam’s (UBD) Academy of Brunei Studies.

Slated to take place this Saturday, Professor Dato’ Dr Othman Yatim’s lecture will explore the diversity found in the arts of the Muslims in the Muslim world owing to factors such as their respective environment and geographical locations.

“At a cursory look, it seems there is no significant different between the arts of the Malays and the Islamic art in the Malay world,” he wrote in his abstract.

He explained the Malay arts emphasised more on the functionality and the beauty of the art created by the Malay artisan, while Islamic art focused on the fundamental doctrine of Islam over complimentary function and aesthetic values.

“It can be safely said that arts is one of the uniting factor among the Muslims regardless of their environment and geographical locations,” he added.

Prior to joining the Academy of Brunei Studies in 2014, Professor Dato’ Dr Othman taught Islamic Art at various institutions including Universiti Malaysia Sarawak and Universiti Malaya. He also previously chaired Malay Studies at Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand.

Besides writing a number of books on the subject, he travelled extensively in the Malay world to conduct research on Malay cultural heritage and Islamic Art.

The lecture, which is part of the university’s Sultan Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Centre for Islamic Studies (SOASCIS) Graduate Seminar Series, will be held from 10am to 12pm in Room 2.55 on the second floor of the Continuing Education Centre Office at UBD.

For more information, please contact SOASCIS at 2463001 ext 2760 or email office.soascis@ubd.edu.bn.

The Brunei Times