Tapestry of Knowledge

This series of six pieces was created for the Mure Room, a spacious multipurpose room in Merton College, Oxford which happens to feature a tall recessed niche on either side. The calligraphic compositions play on the relationship between text and textile, evoking both manuscript folios and tapestries. Each of them is based on a subject taught at the College, and is formed of a symbolic letter amidst a pattern of core words: a text turned into visual texture, inviting contemplation rather than reading.
The earth pigments, which were foraged in Lebanon, bring an aliveness and physical presence of colour that are absent from articial paints. The blue-black text is written in indigo, which unifies the ensemble.

As it’s difficult to access the room at the right time of day for photos, the following are Photoshop-made visualisations of the framed pieces in situ.

East side, which is the view upon entering the room

South side. This composition was designed to work when the screen, which is mobile, is in front of it.

The artist for scale:

Mathematics

Represented by the ر of رياضيات , its texture is made up of the words: number(s) عدد اعداد , algebra جبر , geometry هندسة .

Philosophy

Philosophy فلسفة, like Physics below, is an arabicised Greek word beginning with ف – so to have a different letter, I turned to the etymology of the word and used the ح from حكمة “wisdom”. This piece would sometimes be partially hidden by a screen, and I composed it so it would still look like a complete composition at those times. The texture is made up of the words: ethics اخلاق, inquiry تحر , colloquy كلام .

History

History تاريخ properly starts with ت but this was not a visually strong letter so I borrowed the س from one of the core words: narrative سرد. Other words: writing كتابة , source مصدر , comparison مقارنة.