The Language of pattern: An Enquiry Inspired by Islamic Decorations

In the 1960s and early 1970s, Keith Albarn was a freelance artist who specialized in design commissions of all kinds, but particularly for festivals and exhibitions, alongside his own environmental art. He later created the group Vertex, with Jenny Miall Smith, Stanford Steele, and Dinah Walker, which allowed him to both pursue an interest in pattern and mathematics while applying that interest to commercial design ventures. In one important case, Vertex worked on the World of Islam Festival at the Institute of Contemporary Arts. The group’s research and artistic inquiry in light of the festival resulted in this book, "The Language of Pattern: An Enquiry Inspired by Islamic Decoration." Though Vertex itself does not appear to have lasted very long, Albarn’s fascination with pattern and how it applied not only to art but to the larger philosophical questions continued virtually for the rest of his life, culminating in a solo multimedia exhibition at the Minories Galleries in 2013 called "Pattern and Belief." "For over forty years Keith Albarn has been researching number systems and patterns, and their relationship to belief systems and creativity," the exhibition website says, and both the Minories Galleries and Albarn believed in his work so fervently that Albarn purposely left the section of his website about the exhibition"live" twelve years after the original exhibition’s opening. It is still live even after Albarn’s death in 2024, so to encourage further exploration and, as it says, "interconnectedness." Yet it all began with this book, back when it was first published in 1974. Our copy is in near fine condition, with the only visible flaws being a bump and small scuff on the bottom of the spine and some age tanning on the fore edge of the pages. There is no writing or other marks on the pages or the covers, and the text block is tight and straight, with no missing or damaged pages. It is a paperback but with a French flap—a.k.a. gatefold—cover. The copyright page indicates this title was first published in the U.K. by Thames and Hudson and states explicitly that this copy is part of the first U.S. edition. Please see our photos.…