Mashrabiya

The final outcome of my ‘Global Cultural Collaboration’ field project.

I have created a material that mimics and reverses the idea of the traditional mashrabiya found in Islamic culture. Usually found in windows and door ways to add privacy to homes I have turned this idea around with the influence of the traditional Berber home with wide open windows and views of the Atlas Mountains.

The piece was hard to put together with all the fiddly wooden pieces that fill the holes in the laser cut perspex. However, completing the piece and cleaning it up to give it a high standard finish was pretty rewarding.

This material has a lot of potential. It could work as a large piece to fill a window, in keeping with it’s intended purpose. It could also be used in lighting, as the warm wooden pieces create a contrast against the cold, clean Perspex. The differing materials work well together, the wood is a nod to tradition – something that is highly regarded in Morocco. Whilst the Perspex is almost a development of the classic style of mashrabiya found in the cities.

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