Shireen Taweel

Al-Tusi preferred to rely on perfect circles instead engages with the ocular and the accumulation of knowledge obtained through astronomical devices such as the telescope, astrolabe and quadrant. The work acknowledges the mathematical contribution of trigonometry by Nasir al-Din al-Tusi, a thirteenth-century Persian polymath, and the profound foundation his advances in mathematics have pinned for current astronomy and astrophysics research.

The materiality of copper predominant throughout Taweel’s practice, is synergetic with the early instruments of astronomical observation. The pierced motifs in the two suspended copper works are informed by the calculations, equations, and measuring systems used to identify specific stars and other celestial bodies, and for a myriad of purposes which include celestial navigation, measuring distances, and calculating time.