Arkinetics

Etude No.3

The art of Āina-kāri, which entails skillfully assembling finely cut mirrors in geometric patterns, resides deeply within the morphological unconscious of Iran’s geography. It carries with it a constellation of affective symbols: multiplication, glitter, the sacred, and luxury. On a material plane, it represents the convergence of Girih, mirrors, and three-dimensional surfaces. On an affective plane, it shatters the confines of representation, giving rise to the emergence of “mirrors” instead of the “Mirror” and the proliferation of non-representational images. Āina-kāri liberates the mirror from the static realm of representation, dismantling the subject-oriented image of humanity and unleashing the multiplicity of the reflection-machine. This historical, technical, and artistic machine challenges notions of the subject, surface, image, and movement.

However, in an era where even the “walls” possess the ability to move, the question arises: How can we translate the technical imagination of Āina-kāri into the affective language of our time? To explore this inquiry, we embark on a series of theoretical and practical “etudes.” “Etude No.3” serves as a study in intensifying the nervous and perceptual effects of Āina-kāri by modifying the foundational material and redefining the roles of the static and dynamic within the visual domain. Instead of employing glass, we have folded a sheet of metal (which we call: Mirrogami”) and used mechatronics to move the mirrogam surface, granting the static mirror-wall the ability to move. Now, it is the Girih or “Gol” (flower) that dances in relation to the viewer, presenting its visual effects. This “flower” serves as a cell that can proliferate, expand, and distribute itself with varying densities. It manifests as a thousand blossoms, infusing life into the most immobile surfaces and binding the experience of architectural space with the rhythmic undulations of the sea waves. “Etude No.3” represents an endeavor to inundate the static surfaces of architecture with a veritable sea of mirrors.