On November 28th, a workshop on Islamic Geometry was held at the Espacio Interreligioso-Casa San Ignacio in Madrid, organized by the FICRT Foundation and Pueblos Unidos, and taught by professionals from the organization Sexto Mario. This is a cultural initiative promoted by these organizations, which aims to promote knowledge of history through an artistic activity of a didactic nature.
The idea was to bring Islamic culture and design enthusiasts closer to the history of Andalusian decoration, through a fun activity in which they learned to elaborate the designs, starting from the basic forms.
The workshop was held at the Espacio Interreligioso-Casa San Ignacio in Madrid’s Ventilla neighborhood and was organized by the FICRT Foundation and Pueblos Unidos.
As Cristina Pensado, assistant to the President of the FICRT Foundation, pointed out during the presentation, the objective of this organization “is to transmit the values of tolerance, interreligious and intercultural dialogue through a series of activities, both cultural and scientific”.
For its part, Macarena Úbeda, head of the Espacio Interreligioso Pueblos Unidos and of Casa San Ignaciorecalled that “we have been collaborating with the FICRT Foundation since 2019, and from both entities we work for the promotion of interreligious dialogue.” and noted that “FICRT and Pueblos Unidos are already working on new activities for this same course.”.
Maribel Gutiérrez, PhD in Archaeology and representative of Sexto Mario, was in charge of the workshop. She explained that this organization is dedicated to making handicraft workshops of the Andalusian world, related to the culture, art or science of this period of Al-Andalus.
In the historical introduction that preceded the workshop, the doctor explained curiosities such as the differences between the word “tile” and the word “tiling”The basic forms from which the Andalusian tiling is developed (the squarethe triangle and the hexagon); the artistic innovations of the Islamic world, such as the starry domes; or the meaning of geometric shapes (the square is the symbol of the earthly, of man, and the circle is the symbol of the deity, of the eternal).
Subsequently, the workshop attendees went on to elaborate various designs, with the instructions of Maribel Gutiérrez and her assistant, Marta. Using a simple pattern of circles and straight lines, and equipped with compasses, rulers, pencils and watercolors, the students created and colored their favorite design, which they were then able to take home framed.
All in all, a pleasant afternoon of fun and artistic activities that left the attendees satisfied. A proof that, through this type of events that combine art, history and didactics, it is possible to bring people together and highlight common interests, beyond races and religions.
