Light Installation ‘Hidden’ by Taqaseem Studio

The hidden message is revealed to the one who is ready to search for it

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, member of the Supreme Council and ruler of Sharjah, the Cultural Affairs Department at the Sharjah Department of Culture has organised the 20th Edition of the Sharjah Islamic Arts Festival.

The installation 'Hidden' is on view at the Sharjah Art Museum as part of the Sharjah Islamic Arts Festival 2017/18.

Designers / architects from the Taqaseem Studio explain the installation to Sheikh Abdullah bin Salem Al Qasimi while touring the exhibition at the opening of the Festival / Photo Â© Islamic Arts Magazine

Hidden' is a large scale installation comprised of various shapes that are lit from inside, while hanging in the space. Walking around the installation a viewer can see all separate pieces and each time experiences a different composition. Only from the front the composition creates the final look - an arabesque. The shapes are contemporary and the aim of the artists was not to copy from the past but to rather create their own variation.

The viewer can get around every piece, and in a way interact with it. The perspective changes with every step, so the experience becomes multilayered. The title 'Hidden' suggests that the message is hidden from the viewer, until the right moment. The pieces seem as unrelated geometric forms, until a viewer gets to the right position when the message is "revealed". The arabesque gets its final shape.

Taqaseem Studio consists of four architects/designers: Mariam S. M. Bin Saif Al Ali, Santiago Rios, Daniela Maede Blanco, and Luciana Pimentel.

Sharjah Islamic Arts Festival (SIAF) 2017/18 opened on December 13, 2017 and will run until January 23, 2018. Many exhibitions and large scale installations are on view at the Sharjah Art Museum, and at other venues such as Al Majaz Waterfront, Al Majaz Amphitheatre, Awqaf Department, Al Qasba, Maraya Art Centre, and Calligraphy Square.