|
|
|
|
Curriculum Vitae for Jay Bonner
|
| 2003 | Contracted by SL-Rasch GmbH in Stuttgart, Germany, to design the ornamental details for multiple Quran bookshelves for the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, Saudi Arabia (the burial place of the Prophet Mohammad). The ornament for these bookshelves is being hand carved in India from Corian; a composite material simulating marble. |
| 2001 | Contracted by Dr. Bodo Rasch of Rasch-SL (GmbH) of Stuttgart, Germany, to design the extensive floral ornament for the Kaa’ba Minbar. This is similar in function to a pulpit, and is a central architectural element in every mosque. The Kaa’ba Minbar is located adjacent to the Kaa’ba within the courtyard of the Great Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The original designs for this important architectural feature were first designed by Jay Bonner in 1993. The final design was approved in September 2001, and production and installation were completed in 2002. The ornament for the Kaaba Minbar is hand carved marble undertaken by highly skilled stone carvers in Agra, India. The style of the floral ornament is the same as that developed by Jay Bonner for the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, Saudi Arabia (see below). |
| 2001 | Contracted to develop the designs for a series of large enamel murals for the Department of Science and Mathematics at the University of Colorado in Pueblo, Colorado. The Islamic geometric patterns developed for these panels reflect several areas of interest in math and sciences, including self-similar fractal geometry, aperiodicity, and molecular symmetry as revealed by X-ray diffraction patterns. This work was carried out in collaboration with the enamel artist Pat Musick, and was completed in 2002. |
| 2000 | Contracted to design the ornament for the Fitaihi Medical Center in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. This is a large state-of-the-art hospital designed by the architect Dr. Sami Angawi. It is intended that this hospital demonstrate the appropriateness of using extensive traditional Islamic ornament in contemporary civic architectural projects in the Middle East. The design for this building was undertaken in Boston in association with the architectural firm of Steffian Bradley Associates (SBA). This building calls for the extensive use of traditional ornamental features and a combination of both traditional and state-of-the-art manufacturing technologies. My work on this project includes the extensive use of originally designed muqarnas for both the interior and exterior of the building; both plaster and stainless steel rasmi vaulting; carved wood, water-jet cut stone mosaic flooring, stained and etched glass, cast bronze, etched stainless steel, and ceramic tile and mosaics. In order to coordinate the ornamental elements of this building with other aspects of the architecture, I also consulted closely with the interior designer, landscape architects, and signage consultant. The design development phase of this project was completed in 2001. |
| 2000 | Contracted by SL-Rasch GmbH in Stuttgart, Germany, to design the ornamental details for the Kaaba Stairway, a large teakwood movable ceremonial stairway used once a year by King Faisal when entering the Kaaba chamber in Mecca. The floral ornament was hand carved by craftsmen in Malaysia, and inlayed with lapis lazuli and turquoise. |
| 1998 | Contracted by SL-Rasch GmbH in Stuttgart, Germany, to design the ornamental Water Grates for the flat roof of the Prophet's Mosque in Medina, Saudi Arabia. These were produced in Germany from cast bronze. |
| 1997 | Contracted by SL-Rasch GmbH in Stuttgart, Germany, to design the textile appliqué decoration for the Obhur Tents in Saudi Arabia. |
| 1997 | Contracted by SL-Rasch GmbH in Stuttgart, Germany, to design the ornamental details for the bronze gates and fencing for the Muna Tent City for pilgrims in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. |
| 1995 | Contracted by SL-Rasch GmbH in Stuttgart, Germany, to design the ornamental details for the 23-meter Umbrellas for the Piazza of the Prophet's Mosque, Medina, Saudi Arabia. |
| 1995 | Ornamental consultant and furniture designer for the Morrelli Corporation in Santa Fe, New Mexico. This company produced fine quality hand made furniture, and specialized in highly ornamental hand carved pieces. I worked as a design consultant for this firm for three years. |
| 1994 | Contracted by SL-Rasch GmbH in Stuttgart, Germany, to design the cast bronze ornamental details for the Lamp Columns for the Piazza of the Prophet's Mosque, Medina, Saudi Arabia. |
| 1993 | Contracted by SL-Rasch GmbH in Stuttgart, Germany, to design the ornamental Bronze Gates for the new Piazza of the Prophet's Mosque, Medina, Saudi Arabia. |
| 1993 | On-going design contracts with SL-Rasch GmbH in Stuttgart, Germany, to design three important features for the courtyard of the Kaaba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia: (1) designs for the Maqam Ibrahim; (2) preliminary designs for an electric powered, hand carved marble Minbar adjacent to the Maqam Ibrahim (completed in 2002: see above); and (3) the preliminary designs for the highly ornate, hand-carved wooden movable Kaaba Stairway for the once-a-year ceremonial use by the king when entering the Kaaba chamber (completed in 2000: see above). |
| 1991 | Contracted by SL-Rasch GmbH in Stuttgart, Germany, to design ornamental details for the twelve 14-meter Architectural Umbrellas for the two courtyards of the Prophet's Mosque in Medina, Saudi Arabia. |
| 1990 | Contracted by SL-Rasch GmbH in Stuttgart, Germany, to design the interior ornament for the 27 Moving Domes for the Prophet's Mosque Expansion Project, Medina, Saudi Arabia. Each dome has an approximate diameter of 20 meters. The floral style I developed is pan-Islamic: designed to be recognizably Islamic to all pilgrims from all areas of the world, yet not associated with the ornamental style of any particular Islamic culture or epoch. The ornament is elaborate and is comprised of a variety of hand carved cedar floral panels, inlaid with semi-precious amazonite stones set in gold-plated bezels. The carving for this project was undertaken in Morocco where some 150 wood carvers were employed for over a year to complete the project. For this immense project I was also contracted to consult on the quality control of the woodcarving and stone cutting, as well as the pre-installation of all decorative elements in Germany. This project was completed in 1992. |
| 1990 | Contracted by the Al-Furqan Foundation in London to design and supply 22 linear meters of carved wood Arabic calligraphy with highly ornamental floral background, brackets, and borders. The renowned Pakistani calligrapher, Rasheed Butt, undertook the calligraphy for this project. This work was produced in walnut wood, and was undertaken by traditional woodcarvers in Pakistani Kashmir. |
| 1988 | Design and quality control of the chemically etched decorative steel cladding used in the new elevators that were installed as part of the modern expansion of the Al Masjid Al-Haram, the Grand Mosque in Mecca (Kaaba), Saudi Arabia. This project was undertaken during my position as Senior Designer for the London design firm Tenda Ltd. |
| 1987 | Design for the large stained glass window, as well as the design and quality control of all interior and exterior ceramics for the Data Darbar Mosque and Shrine in Lahore, Pakistan. This mosque complex was built at the burial site of the great eleventh century Sufi saint Al-Hujwiri (Hazrat Data Gang Bakhsh). This project was undertaken during my position as Senior Designer for the London design firm Tenda Ltd. |
| 1986 | The design of a series of large wooden floriated Kufi calligraphy panels with bold relief for the New Senate House in Islamabad, Pakistan. This project involved collaboration between myself and the renowned Pakistani calligrapher Rasheed Butt. The fabrication was carried out in Pakistan by local craftsmen. This project was undertaken during my position as Senior Designer for the London design firm Tenda Ltd. |
| 1986 | Design of the glass reinforced gypsum rasmi vaulting, muqarnas capitals, and stained glass windows for the interior the Mecca Gate in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. This modern building serves as a ceremonial entryway into the city of Mecca. Along with the calligrapher Rasheed Butt of Pakistan, I also designed a series of ceramic calligraphic panels for the exterior of this building. This project was undertaken during my position as Senior Designer for the London design firm Tenda Ltd. |
| 1985 | Design and quality control of the ornamental dome interiors for the renovation of historic Quba Mosque in Medina, Saudi Arabia. This work was produced in glass-reinforced gypsum, and manufactured in Wales. This project was undertaken during my position as Senior Designer for the London design firm Tenda Ltd. |
| 1984 | Private commission for the design and production of specially decorated tiles for the post-modernist private residence of Charles Jencks in London. |
| 1984 | Private commission for the design and production of a ceramic fountain for the palace of Sheikh Sulman al-Sabah in Kuwait. |
| 1983 | Design, fabrication and installation of a series of decorative ceramic tile panels for the Ismaili Centre in South Kensington, London. This work was commissioned by the architect Sir Hugh Casson of Casson & Condor Architects, London. This project was undertaken while a partner of Surat Partnership in London. Together with Keith Critchlow and Paul Marchant, I was a founding member of this firm. |
Since completing my Mdes in 1982, I have worked professionally in the field of Islamic architectural ornament. I am a specialist in the fields of Islamic geometric and floral design, and have worked with a wide range of ornamental materials and techniques. The many projects I have worked on in the United States, Europe, Middle East, and Pakistan have provided me with an abundant experience in the successful application of traditional ornamental compositions into the contemporary architectural context. In addition to traditional Islamic 2D ornamental design, I am also a specialist in Islamic 3D ornamental conventions. These include muqarnas, yezdi bendi vaulting, rasmi vaulting (a.k.a. squinch net, or star vaulting), as well as the techniques required for the application of geometric patterns onto the 3D surfaces of domes.
In the design of diverse architectural ornament, I have been particularly concerned with the constraints which materials and production processes place upon design. This specialized knowledge extends to the work of both traditional hand-craftsmanship, as well as state-of-the-art machine fabricated processes. The diversity of materials and manufacturing techniques with which I am experienced include decorative ceramic tile; traditional cut-tile mosaic; hand carved wood; laser-cut inlaid wood marquetry; hand carved stone; water-jet cut inlaid stone; pre-cast glass reinforced gypsum panels and vaults; stained glass set in gypsum, stained glass set in lead; cast bronze; and chemically etched stainless steel. I am particularly experienced in the field of architectural ceramics: my area of specialized research as a graduate student, and later as a Research Fellow at the Royal College of Art, London. My work is not always easy to produce, and I am often contracted to provide onsite quality control during the manufacturing process.
From 1986 to-date, I have used AutoCAD extensively for my ornamental design, as well as presentation and production drawings. When relevant, I also supply manufacturers with data files for computer-controlled manufacturing. Most of my architectural clients use AutoCAD, and by using the same release and format as my clients, my ornamental designs are easily incorporated into the working drawings of a given project. In addition to AutoCAD, I also use Adobe Illustrator, and more recently, Rhinoceros for 3D design and modeling.
|
BONNER DESIGN CONSULTANCY HOME |
SELF-SIMILAR |
DESIGN SERVICES |
RESUME | CONTACT US |
