How is the transformative nature of geometry used in Islamic art? The exhibition explores this question through the practice of teachers and alumni of The Prince’s School of Traditional Arts. These works collectively journey through a universal tradition to see how it has been revived and continues in practice.
The exhibition includes the works of master geometricians, Keith Critchlow and Paul Marchant as well as their students from both the East and the West, whose works in particular trace the dynamic manifestation of geometry in Islamic art, demonstrating the inclusive aspects of a discipline that is the essential underlying and symbolic principle that permeates all living things.
"To understand Islamic art, it is necessary to understand the archetypal order of nature which informs our perspectives and grants insight into that which is visible and that which is invisible." -Amina Ahmed.
PARTICIPATING ARTISTS: Keith Critchlow. Paul Marchant. Emma Clark in association with Petherick, Urquhart & Hunt. Simon Tretheway. Parveen Zuberi. Lisa DeLong. Tom Bree. Katya Nosyreva. Susana Marin. Shafon Miah. Kayo Kimura. Sara Salman. Sama Mara & Lee Westwood. Dana Awartani. Natasha Mann. Leila Dear.
Curated by Amina Ahmed and Santiago Navila.
Zanbeel Art is proud to participate in the Los Angeles Islam Arts Initiative 2014.
November 2014 - December 2014
Opening Reception & Walk-through: November 1, 2014
Public Programming:
Geometry in Nature Workshop
November 5, 2014
Curator Amina Ahmed leads workshop with 112th Elementary School and Will Rogers High School.
Professor Keith Critchlow was a painter, architectural designer and teacher. He founded the Visual Islamic and Traditional Arts program in 1984 which has since moved from the Royal College of Art to The Prince's Foundation School of Traditional Arts.
“For Centuries, Practitioners of geometry have used the same implements as the ancient Egyptians – a compass or dividers, a straight edge and a tee square. These simple, reliable instruments were used to build the Great Pyramid, the Greek temples, the gothic cathedrals and the greatest mosques. The timeless wisdom that enabled the constructions of these awe inspiring structures has been handed down to the present day, along with the same basic tools. However, it is important to grasp that geometry is not simply a practical art of making things: it also has a deeper, more profound meaning – practically, philosophically and, most importantly, cosmologically. The craft guilds of Islam were crucial to the uploading of this knowledge.”
Paul Marchant is a painter, teacher and a scholar of nature. “The practice of geometry is regarded as a symbolic rite for continuous remembrance of the unifying creative principle underlying nature – one that helps maintain balance between the vertical and horizontal axes of peoples’ lives.”
Field trip for lecture presentation with artist & curator Amina Ahmed
Tracing over the works of master geometricians.
Understanding the basics of practicing geometry and its history.
Utilizing the tools of geometry practice, students learn techniques to draw patterns.
Students utilize archetypal shapes of the circle, square and triangle to practice geometry.
After drawing an outline with the compass and ruler, students embellish drawings with colorful accents.