Graduate Studies

Interdisciplinary Master's in Art, Media and Design (MA, MDes and MFA)

Shahrzad Amin

Arches as a Bridge

The arch represents evolution and connection over time, transition, and revolution. It has metaphorical and historical meanings.Metaphor: the arch confers the idea of ceremony and renewal in many cultures, walking through the arch represents moving into a new place in life, commemorates a transition, a joining of places.Historical: The arch symbolically connects one culture to another.Symbolism in arches: The bridge is made from arches. It suggests a transformation from one ‘place’ to another. The materials used, which are transparent and reflective, try to show that the passing of time is fluid, suggests steps through time, and into future times, ongoing, continuing, evolving.

“The sculptural piece experiments with lighting effects and the materiality of arches, applying vitrail colour on acrylic, and exploring how viewers’ cultural and affective responses get filtered and refracted by specific matter and media. The lighting effects further create an affective environment, in which the viewer gets pulled into a cultural world that they haven’t experienced before. ”