N°1 - Globe
Invisible Light Serie (2012)
Invisible Light No. 1, titled Globe, belongs to the Invisible Light collection developed by Yahya in collaboration with Moroccan painter Mehdi Qotbi. The collection was first exhibited at the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris within the Zaha Hadid Pavilion, before being shown in Marrakech. Conceived as an exploration of abstraction through Islamic calligraphy, the series does not seek legibility but rather engages with movement, rhythm, and visual poetry. Globe stands as the most monumental expression of this approach, translating calligraphy into a universal and symbolic form.
The sculpture presents a three-dimensional map of the world, rendered as a continuous spherical form. All continents are expressed using the same abstract calligraphic language inspired by Islamic script, removing hierarchy and borders. These landmasses appear to float within oceans composed entirely of the word Salam, peace, forming a poetic vision of continents suspended in an ocean of harmony. The continents are cut from 8–10 mm stainless steel, while the oceans are formed from 5 mm stainless steel sheets, each element individually hand-sawn, engraved, and assembled.
Entirely handmade in Marrakech, Globe required over eighteen months of fabrication and the collaboration of multiple specialised teams. Hundreds of individually cut and engraved components were welded together into a perfectly balanced spherical structure of exceptional scale. The sculpture is internally illuminated from a concealed central source at its base, allowing light to pass through the calligraphic surface and project intricate patterns onto surrounding walls. The calligraphy extends uninterrupted toward the light source, rendering the technical process deliberately unreadable and heightening the sense of mystery.
Photography Credit: Warren Wesley Patterson
N°1 - Globe
Invisible Light Serie (2012)
Invisible Light No. 1, titled Globe, belongs to the Invisible Light collection developed by Yahya in collaboration with Moroccan painter Mehdi Qotbi. The collection was first exhibited at the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris within the Zaha Hadid Pavilion, before being shown in Marrakech. Conceived as an exploration of abstraction through Islamic calligraphy, the series does not seek legibility but rather engages with movement, rhythm, and visual poetry. Globe stands as the most monumental expression of this approach, translating calligraphy into a universal and symbolic form.
The sculpture presents a three-dimensional map of the world, rendered as a continuous spherical form. All continents are expressed using the same abstract calligraphic language inspired by Islamic script, removing hierarchy and borders. These landmasses appear to float within oceans composed entirely of the word Salam, peace, forming a poetic vision of continents suspended in an ocean of harmony. The continents are cut from 8–10 mm stainless steel, while the oceans are formed from 5 mm stainless steel sheets, each element individually hand-sawn, engraved, and assembled.
Entirely handmade in Marrakech, Globe required over eighteen months of fabrication and the collaboration of multiple specialised teams. Hundreds of individually cut and engraved components were welded together into a perfectly balanced spherical structure of exceptional scale. The sculpture is internally illuminated from a concealed central source at its base, allowing light to pass through the calligraphic surface and project intricate patterns onto surrounding walls. The calligraphy extends uninterrupted toward the light source, rendering the technical process deliberately unreadable and heightening the sense of mystery.