Stainless steel, powder paint
1.8m diameter
Limited edition of 8
The tiling motif incorporated in this sculpture is from the Great Mosque of Herat in Afghanistan (AD 1200) a pattern that was also seen to lesser degree in the Great Mosque of Cordoba (AD 784). The pattern revolves around the tessellation of the hexagon. The elementary geometries of Islamic art take their proportions form the geometries found in nature. 6-fold form can be seen in many natural forms such as rock formations, crystals, snowflakes, flower petals and of course honey comb. The name reflects this and is derived from the Arabic ‘Khaliat nahl’ meaning hive.
This sculpture creates a three-dimensional representation based on this origin motif seeking to retain a sense of balance, symmetry and harmony. The lattice patterns become circular – representing the infinite repetition, the hexagonal form that originally informed the motif, informs the wider sculptural form.
The clean lines, geometries and repetitions within Islamic art share many key elements with more Minimalist western art. The resulting work here becomes a fusion of East and West combining minimalism and geometric abstraction. The sculpture delicately juxtaposes the intricate with the bold, the solid form with the lattice, inviting sunlight to pass, offering a quality of lightness countering the weight of material.
The colour is widely incorporated within the tiling found in the Mosque – a colour that is equally effective in a built environment and as within nature. As the daylight light catches the sculpture it can also be seen that there is not one blue – but a spectrum of shades fall on the flanges, and this changes continually at different time of day or year. This sculpture is from Moorhouse’s Matahatan Series: The symmetries of space and the spectacle of geometry: Harmony, balance, beauty, and proportion.