6 ms·

Islamic art inspires stretchy, switchable materials

124 points by MichalSikora 11y ago

skeuomorf 11y ago
Of relevant interest: "Quasicrystals in medieval islamic architecture" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rldnu9rNpH8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rldnu9rNpH8
jonah 11y ago
Not only interesting, but beautiful as well!
- xufi 11y ago
  I agree. I just watched a documentary about Islamic Architecture a few days ago and it was pretty fascinating. I didn't even realize how sites like the Taj Mahal have so much artistic geometric balance in their interiors
  - mark_edward 11y ago
    Do you have a link to a description of this documentary? I'd be interested in getting my hands on it.
SolarNet 11y ago
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jacobolus 11y ago
While on the subject, this upcoming indie game based on Islamic art also looks interesting: http://www.engare.design/drawing-tool/ http://www.engare.design/drawing-tool/
- DanBC 11y ago
  Here's a video of people making tiles for mosaic panels: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-n03ano-Ak https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-n03ano-Ak
  - jacobolus 11y ago
    Wow. Now imagine tiling the floor, walls, ceiling, and outside façade of a mosque using such handmade tiles. Insane amounts of human labor involved. Your video sucked me into watching videos about tilemaking. :-) This one is kind of neat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Og6cTlwBTrk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Og6cTlwBTrk
spriggan3 11y ago
s/islamic/arabic or persian. Sometimes it feels like some western journalists are clueless about the fact that this part of the world had an artistic history before the creation of Islam.
- jbm 11y ago
  The article specifically said it was inspired by a piece that was produced 1000 years ago, which would put it during the Islamic period.
- typon 11y ago
  It seems like you're clueless about Islamic art. The focus on geometry and patterns in art in the Arab and Persian world is a direct result of Islamic theology affecting society.
  - deleted 11y ago
    [deleted]
  - dogma1138 11y ago
    Not really the origins "Islamic" geometrical art were actually Asian and Indian arts espcially Buddhist arts that were brought back when Islam expanded into Asia, much of it wans't even created by Muslims.
    - typon 11y ago
      Can I request a source? I suggest you read this book: http://www.amazon.com/Geometric-Concepts-in-Islamic-Art/dp/0905906659 http://www.amazon.com/Geometric-Concepts-in-Islamic-Art/dp/0...
      - dogma1138 11y ago
        Sri Yantra and Mandala predate Islam. And I suggest you read too, the changes in "styles" of "Islamic Art" can be directly correlated to the Islamic expansion especially in SE Asia and Maritime Asia. Islamic art is not only religious art it's for the most part all art that was created in the Islamic world; not art that was created by Muslims. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-islam/beginners-guide-islamic/a/arts-of-the-islamic-world https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-islam/beginners-g... Quite a bit of it was attributed to Muslims but it was done incorrectly, Islam banned any use of human figures in art so local art styles which were already highly abstract and geometrical had to be evolve into purely abstract art. So medieval Muslims were big patrons of Arts in their time but Islamic Art on it's own is not "Islamic" in a religious or (monolithic) cultural sense.
agumonkey 11y ago
More and more shape shifting structures are popping in mainstream.
JavaScriptrr 11y ago
Pretty amazing. The mathmetical structure in islamic art is really inspiring. Curious to see what types of applications these materials could be used for. Any thoughts?
jdietrich 11y ago
Along similar lines, origami techniques are being used to design folding antennae and solar arrays for satellites. http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2014-277 http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2014-277 https://riunet.upv.es/bitstream/handle/10251/6461/PAP_MIURA_27.pdf https://riunet.upv.es/bitstream/handle/10251/6461/PAP_MIURA_...
- pfd1986 11y ago
  Shameless plugin for my own research: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/38803060/html/files/nmat4327.pdf https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/38803060/html/files/nmat...

124 points by MichalSikora 11y ago

Of relevant interest: "Quasicrystals in medieval islamic architecture" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rldnu9rNpH8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rldnu9rNpH8

jonah 11y ago

Not only interesting, but beautiful as well!

xufi 11y ago
I agree. I just watched a documentary about Islamic Architecture a few days ago and it was pretty fascinating. I didn't even realize how sites like the Taj Mahal have so much artistic geometric balance in their interiors
- mark_edward 11y ago
  Do you have a link to a description of this documentary? I'd be interested in getting my hands on it.

SolarNet 11y ago

rabble proof rabble aliens rabble

jacobolus 11y ago

While on the subject, this upcoming indie game based on Islamic art also looks interesting: http://www.engare.design/drawing-tool/ http://www.engare.design/drawing-tool/

DanBC 11y ago
Here's a video of people making tiles for mosaic panels: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-n03ano-Ak https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-n03ano-Ak
- jacobolus 11y ago
  Wow. Now imagine tiling the floor, walls, ceiling, and outside façade of a mosque using such handmade tiles. Insane amounts of human labor involved. Your video sucked me into watching videos about tilemaking. :-) This one is kind of neat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Og6cTlwBTrk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Og6cTlwBTrk

spriggan3 11y ago

s/islamic/arabic or persian. Sometimes it feels like some western journalists are clueless about the fact that this part of the world had an artistic history before the creation of Islam.

jbm 11y ago
The article specifically said it was inspired by a piece that was produced 1000 years ago, which would put it during the Islamic period.
typon 11y ago
It seems like you're clueless about Islamic art. The focus on geometry and patterns in art in the Arab and Persian world is a direct result of Islamic theology affecting society.
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
- dogma1138 11y ago
  Not really the origins "Islamic" geometrical art were actually Asian and Indian arts espcially Buddhist arts that were brought back when Islam expanded into Asia, much of it wans't even created by Muslims.
  - typon 11y ago
    Can I request a source? I suggest you read this book: http://www.amazon.com/Geometric-Concepts-in-Islamic-Art/dp/0905906659 http://www.amazon.com/Geometric-Concepts-in-Islamic-Art/dp/0...
    - dogma1138 11y ago
      Sri Yantra and Mandala predate Islam. And I suggest you read too, the changes in "styles" of "Islamic Art" can be directly correlated to the Islamic expansion especially in SE Asia and Maritime Asia. Islamic art is not only religious art it's for the most part all art that was created in the Islamic world; not art that was created by Muslims. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-islam/beginners-guide-islamic/a/arts-of-the-islamic-world https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-islam/beginners-g... Quite a bit of it was attributed to Muslims but it was done incorrectly, Islam banned any use of human figures in art so local art styles which were already highly abstract and geometrical had to be evolve into purely abstract art. So medieval Muslims were big patrons of Arts in their time but Islamic Art on it's own is not "Islamic" in a religious or (monolithic) cultural sense.

agumonkey 11y ago

More and more shape shifting structures are popping in mainstream.

JavaScriptrr 11y ago

Pretty amazing. The mathmetical structure in islamic art is really inspiring. Curious to see what types of applications these materials could be used for. Any thoughts?

jdietrich 11y ago

Along similar lines, origami techniques are being used to design folding antennae and solar arrays for satellites. http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2014-277 http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2014-277 https://riunet.upv.es/bitstream/handle/10251/6461/PAP_MIURA_27.pdf https://riunet.upv.es/bitstream/handle/10251/6461/PAP_MIURA_...

pfd1986 11y ago
Shameless plugin for my own research: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/38803060/html/files/nmat4327.pdf https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/38803060/html/files/nmat...