Strata Volumes [That Lost, Those Star-Crossed]

created in dialog with illustrated and illuminated manuscripts entitled ‘Layla and Majnun’; the 7th century Arab bedouin legend made famous by the poet Nizami Ganjavi in the 12th century. 

Strata Volumes is an exploration of ornamentation, computation, craftsmanship, and material. 

Ornamentation encompasses a rich variety of visual ‘languages’ that have crossed continents for millennia, evolving in form through layers of culture and influence. Much like the ancient love story that inspired Nizami’s poem, ornament can be traced back to ancient cultures and followed through generations over hundreds of years. 

I interpret historical ornament through my own generational perspective; through use of contemporary technologies including algorithmic tools and digital fabrication machines. I also seek to use techniques and materials in unconventional ways.

Created from the similar materials as the illuminated manuscripts that inspired them - fine papers, gold, cotton and ink - Strata Volumes are reimagined in unexpected form. Paper, when laminated and layered, attains remarkable structural strength, allowing for the creation of volumetric objects of both presence and precise detail. 

The intricate patterns for these works are drawn by hand before they are processed by custom software tools. Computational geometry algorithms are used to allow dozens of two-dimensional layers to be individually cut with a customised laser machine and assembled into a single three-dimensional object built with the aid of a 3d printed form. The final build is carried out entirely by hand, involving a unique process of gold gilding and glueing, taking hundreds of hours to complete.