2017 Joint Mathematics Meetings
Nathan Voirol
Artists
Statement
I am a textile designer who is passionate about Islamic art. I enjoy creating original geometric star, floral and arabesque designs and work in a variety of mediums, including woven and printed textiles, painting, and ceramic tile. This is my first attempt designing a Minbar.
Artworks
Minbar Design
45 x 60 cm
print out
2016
A Minbar is ceremonial pulpit positioned to the side of a prayer niche in a mosque. They range from highly elaborate ornamentation to more modest designs and are often executed in wood or stone. My personal favorites are from the Mamluk period in Egypt.
For this design I used the proportions of a Root 2 rectangle to give the minbar an overall sense of unity. The geometric star patterns use compound symmetries.The pattern on the doors is composed of 16 and 18gons and the pattern on the railing and on the side of the standing area uses 7, 8, and 9gons in a square repeat.