Hiya (She)
Hiya (She) is a homage to the 10th-century Syrian Muslim astronomer, Mariam Al-‘Ijliya (also known as Mariam Al Astrulabi), who changed the face of astronomy by pioneering the astrolabe. The form of the installation is inspired by the Tughrul tower, a 12th-century brick tomb tower built for the Seljuk ruler Tughrul in Rey, Iran. Designed in a 24-sided polygon, known as icositetragram, the shape also functions as an indicator of time, its geometry acting like a clock pointer creating shadows that change in direction and length depending on the sun's position. The colours of the 48-paneled glass structure are based on the visible light spectrum, which varies in wavelength across the day. As light permeates the coloured glass, it transforms throughout the day, painting its surroundings with a rich interplay of colour and light. Here, transparency is interconnected with light, both ephemeral and eternal in nature. Its perceptive qualities also serve as a metaphor for the unveiling of truths or stories otherwise unseen or overlooked.
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The Louvre Museum, Abu Dhabi (November 2023)