Shireen Taweel

#Celestial Crossing

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA

Shireen Taweel's practice sees a convergence of cultural heritage, knowledge, identity, and language. Her immersive installations draw upon architecture, Islamic science, ritual, and speculative futures. Her intricate hand-pierced and engraved sculptures fuse conceptual and contemporary practice with an innovative application of traditional artisan coppersmith techniques.

'Celestial Crossing' is Taweel's first permanent public artwork. These sculptures manifest the aesthetic beauty of the astrolabe, an ancient instrument used for astronomical measurements and navigation. The installation comprises five elements: three circular Astrolabe sculptures and two cone-shaped telescope sculptures that were fabricated using CNC cutting and engraving of stainless steel. All five works are freestanding on matt black powder-coated stainless-steel stands.

Taweel worked closely with our UAP Brisbane curatorial team to develop this work, who developed an artist brief that identified key themes of connection, discovery, and exploration. We were able to help fabricate the three primary artworks by using CNC cutting and engraving to etch Shireen's designs onto the aluminium surface.

The history of migration for many cultures is inextricably bound to the scientific discoveries of celestial navigation. The ability to map movement via land or sea has contributed to the expansion of trade, faith, and cross-cultural discourse between diverse cultures.
Shireen Taweel

Celestial Crossing' embraces the technology past and present of celestial navigation, the intricate mapping of the night sky, and the myriad of cross-cultural architectural representations that are a testament to a truly global science. The pierced forms reference the advances of the astrolabe in Islamic Science, the complexity of the instrument, and the sensibility of spirit that permeates through the sciences of many cultures and manifests in the aesthetic beauty of the astrolabe.
Shireen Taweel