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Iqra  إقرأ

A 5 meter high sculpture shaped in a male hollow figure in the seating position, reading the holy Quran. The sculpture is formed from Arabic text: the verses from Surat Al Alaq which have been the first revelation to Prophet Muhammad in Mecca at cave Hira. The surat stresses the importance of focus on the righteous path and furthering one’s education.

 

The design features of this sculpture involve solar panels installed within the only solid object, an open book representing the holy Quran, to charge up a set of installed LED lights that would act as a lighting installation during the night. The body of the sculpture is also 2/3 submerged under water, which makes the book that is directing the light affect hovering just above the sea level. In result the illumination shall attract life (small fish and creatures) to gather and serve as bait for the larger creatures which forms a stronger and healthier underwater life cycle.

 

This sculpture creates a hollow interior which is accessible by the user to explore. This text is placed around the body in a spiral motion starting from the head covering the body throughout. Due to the text involving accents and bracket symbols, the body itself is supported by an organic web like structure underneath the text that supports all the characters throughout. The sculpture shall be made of a specific family of concrete that shall encourage the growth of coral etc. to beautify and bring the installation to life.

 

Due to the intricacy of this design, the production method shall be 3D printing in concrete to achieve the ultimate solidity and durability possible. The height of the structure would also determine the structural load that has to be considered. The current proposed height of the design is 7m, but this will be altered based on the location, direction and placement of the proposed sculpture.

Year: 2018

Medium: Aluminum, Stainless Steel, Solar panels

Dimension: 3x3x5m

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