Katya will give a talk, a practical presentation, and together with Ameet Hindocha will lead a session on set squares.
“From page to building: historical sources on drafting methods in the Islamic world”
In spite of the incredible wealth of preserved and restored examples of Islamic architecture, Arabic and Persian written sources provide little information on the working methods of craftsmen and architects, which were mostly transmitted orally and visually, by means of geometric drawings on paper or templates in other media. This evening talk will provide an overview of the few sources we do have which can be broadly subdivided into two categories: bound manuals on geometry produced for or by craftsmen and containing diagrams and accompanying text, and textless architectural scrolls created as a comprehensive collection of visual repertoire and reference. This overview will give the participant the visual background for the practical sessions during the week when we will explore more deeply the role of tools and instruments in workshop practices and the ornamental solutions recorded on paper in book and scroll form and applied in architectural contexts.
“Composing with set squares”
In his introductory chapter to A Book on Those Geometric Constructions Which Are Necessary for the Craftsman Abu’l-Wafaʾ al-Buzjani discusses the three basic instruments necessary for geometric constructions: a ruler, a compass, and a set square. The set square being an additional instrument to the ruler and compass constructions found in Euclid, and having fascinating implications to the understanding of the craft workshops practices and contemporary explorations of Islamic geometric patterns. In this practical session we will introduce the folios from the Anonymous Persian Compendium, appended to the Persian translation al-Buzjani’s text, specifically mentioning special set-squares (Arabic kūnyā, Persian gūnyā), corresponding to different polygons, where the angle module corresponds to the chords joining the circumference divisions. We will reenact some of the diagrams and with the aid of specially cut set-squares construct underlying layouts and a variation of patterns.
“Mirza Akbar Scrolls: problems, historical context, and practical application”
Following our visit to the V&A museum to view the Mirza Akbar scrolls, produced in the 19th century Iran, we will engage in a practical exploration of this and other related documents. We will explore the links between the type of practical geometry expounded in medieval Islamic manuals on geometry and the architectural drawings which appear in scroll form. Unlike the manuals on geometry, which include a revealing conversation between the diagram and the text, architectural scrolls lack any written commentary or instructions and are intended as a reference for an already-established visual vocabulary. We will look at a selection of individual repeat-unit designs from architectural scrolls, develop a vocabulary of shapes and consider how they might be proportionally adapted to different media and architectural contexts.
We will also consider how the placement of two-dimensional geometric repeat units next to floor plans, elevations, projections of muqarnaṣ and vaults in the architectural scrolls can enrich our understanding of these complementary architectural systems.