Jaali Crystal 1

2022
8" x 17" x 8"
Cherry, basswood

Enjoy the many symmetries of this crystalline shape.

The Jaalihedra™ Sculpture series combines polyhedral shapes with perforated patterns inspired by jaali - decorative sandstone screens commonly found in the forts and castles of Northwestern India. 

There are a few ways to think about Jaali Crystal's interesting shape. Believe it or not it is intimately related to the ordinary cube - can you see how? For those who know polyhedra, it is perhaps best visualized as a cuboctahedron with two half-octahedral caps.

Each face is decorated with a pattern featuring 6-pointed and 12-pointed stars.

This sculpture can lie directly on any flat surface on any of its square faces, and casts dramatic shadows when brightly lit.