The Five-Thousand-Year Line
Whether it be a branch of the arts or a relative of the sciences, evidence of geometry in architecture spans back as far as the cradle of civilisation. This thesis pursues the aesthetic of grace from ancient Mesopotamia through to contemporary Iraq, using both freehand and measured geometrical drawing techniques. The renowned architectural historian Robin Evans describes the state of projective geometry in architecture as ‘a continuous transformation of images...absconded and mercurial due to its shifting perspective’. By applying supportive theory on geometry and the intricacies of its representation, this thesis concentrates on the graceful curve, previously described as the ‘five-thousand-year old line’, found in the architecture of the Ma’dan (marsh Arab) communities of Southern Iraq. This project seeks to develop a contemporary structure based on historical geometries.