From Sacred Geometry to Cultural Branding

Abstract

When the Louvre Abu Dhabi opened in 2017, the first thing visitors noticed was the change of light and shadow. The light passes through a huge dome, which is composed of thousands of overlapping metal star-shaped components. After being filtered layer by layer, the light is projected on the white buildings and trails below with changing patterns. Architect Jean Nouvel called this effect "Rain of Light". People then realized that this design was a tribute to the geometric hollow screen in traditional Islamic architecture. This dome not only becomes the most iconic image of the museum, but also symbolizes Abu Dhabi's great ambition to build itself into a global cultural destination on a broader level. (fig. 1). This article discusses the changes in Islamic geometric patterns after leaving the original architectural context and entering the contemporary Gulf urbanism context. The article points out that these patterns were deeply rooted in the social, environmental and spiritual life of Islamic cities, but now they have undergone a major transformation. In the hands of architects such as Jean Nouvel and in the cultural strategies of countries such as the United Arab Emirates, they have evolved into tools for national branding and cultural soft power projection. This transformation does not only mean a kind of "loss". It has also raised a series of key issues. How does architecture build identity? When the historical form is reinterpreted under a new scale and for a new purpose, what interests and losses are involved behind it? This paper discusses three key nodes. First, the article traces the original context of Islamic geometric patterns and mashrabiya, and examines the spiritual, environmental, and social implications carried by these forms in pre-modern cities. Second, the article focuses on the Institut du Monde Arab, built by Nouvel in Paris in 1987, which is regarded as the first important case of modern reinterpretation of the above patterns in the field of institutional architecture. Third, the article takes Louvre Abu Dhabi as an example to analyze how geometric patterns become the carrier of shaping the national image. This article draws on the theoretical framework of Amale Andraos on interpreting the "characterization" of Arab and Gulf cities, and combines critical literature on "Orientalism" and "Gulf Urbanism". From this, it can be concluded that the trajectory of evolution from "sacred geometry" to "cultural branding" is neither a simple linear progress nor a simple loss of value, but a complex game between architectural heritage and contemporary political ambitions.