Amin Gulgee

LOOKING FOR THE MAGIC CENTRE
By Amin Gulgee
The centre is always hidden inasmuch as our point of origin, as it appears on the
page, when investigated closely constitutes in itself a field or domain, the centre of
which will continually elude ‘placing’ in the strictest physical terms. Even the most elementary
particles of the atomic nucleus surround an unmanifest centre. For practical
purposes, however, we place the still point of our compasses on the centre and move
the other to inscribe an arc. 1
So states Keith Critchlow in his book Islamic Patterns, when describing the point of origin. This point of
origin, when extended, creates a line which, by its arc, becomes the diameter of a circle. By extending the
circle by its diameter, geometric pattern can be created.
What intrigued me about Mr. Critchlow’s book was his concept of the point of origin. As he writes, “The
nature of origins or the creation point of a subject is grounded in mystery. The nature of a point - the simple
self-evident origin of geometry - is one such mystery: is it possible that a point ‘has no dimension’, except
that it be a metaphysical point, and how can it occupy ‘place’ if space has not yet been created from its
unfolding?” 2