Keith Critchlow
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
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.”
Opening Reception & Walkthrough
Geometry in Nature: Creative Workshop
Gallery Gathering
A Meditative Process
A Meditative Process
Field trip for lecture presentation with artist & curator Amina Ahmed
A Meditative Process
A Meditative Process
A Meditative Process
Tracing over the works of master geometricians.
Outdoor Classroom
A Meditative Process
Outdoor Classroom
Understanding the basics of practicing geometry and its history.
Compass and Ruler
A Meditative Process
Outdoor Classroom
Utilizing the tools of geometry practice, students learn techniques to draw patterns.
Practicing Freely
Practicing Freely
Practicing Freely
Students utilize archetypal shapes of the circle, square and triangle to practice geometry.
Adding Your Flare
Practicing Freely
Practicing Freely
After drawing an outline with the compass and ruler, students embellish drawings with colorful accents.