Kamal Ud-Din Behzad, Construction of the fort of Kharnaq, 1530.
Material Tapestry: Decolonising the Horizon
Material Tapestry: Decolonising the Horizon explores the profound cultural divergence in architectural representation, contrasting the Western construct of perspective with Oriental systems of spatial thought. While Western drawing historically privileges a single, detached observer bound by strict geometric rules, Eastern traditions—specifically Japanese and Persian art—conceptualize space through active participation. By examining works like Kamal ud-Din Behzad’s 1530 painting, The Construction of the Fort of Kharnaq, the project highlights an alternative, non-hierarchical "assemblage of actions" where the self is situated within the world rather than merely observing it. Ultimately, this drawing challenges the single-viewpoint Western paradigm that has long dominated the global architectural canon.