Open Observation

The Bab Al Salam Mosque in Oman is a modern architectural beauty. The prayer area for men is round and features this stunning chandelier and a tall, vertical window facing Mecca.

I made this image in January of 2024 when I was in Muscat for a few days in between meetings in Dubai and events in Davos and not intending to make images, I did not have any of my photography gear. Suddenly taken with a compelling urge to visit and photograph this mosque, I tracked down a photographer willing to lend his equipment to me. He picked me up at 5 o’clock in the morning, and during our drive to Muscat, we talked about his faith and community. He was so pure of heart and loved his faith. We discussed world politics and he told me he was saddened that some Western countries view Muslims and the Muslim faith as dangerous.

Pure faith, regardless of its source, is full of light, and if I turn that gaze internally, I find an openness, much like the mosque window that reaches skyward. When I receive the gift of faith, love, or light, I am not intent on teaching or preaching. Instead, as I made this and other images, I experience a broadness that is freeing and not bound to any practice of faith or religion. I look inward and outward with unique vision.

If care is taken as you look at this image, you might notice the young man’s bare foot, above which the chandelier’s dome of bulbs hang by slender, illuminated threads. Both elements— the bare foot and electrical wires suspending the bulbs—could pass unnoticed unless care is taken in observation. Look then, closely at what is illuminated and yet unnoticed.