Dubai
A staircase spiralling into the depths below. The long, linear shadows cast by Shaikh Zayed Road’s skyscrapers at sunset.
City scenes can be just as dramatic as the natural world, and can surprise viewers with their aesthetic geometry.
But geometric shapes came into man-made structures long after they were first observed in Nature. Symmetry, spirals, waves, cracks, tessellations and other patterns are frequently found in our natural environment.
The mathematician Fibonacci is credited with introducing the ‘Golden Ratio’ or ‘Golden Section’, which, with a ratio of 1:1.6, is considered most ‘pleasing to the eye’. This ratio can be found in almost every naturally occurring thing – a shell on the beach, for instance, and in the human body, and the solar system.
Even more beautiful is how it is found in music, art and architecture. The layout of the Parthenon, in Greece, uses the Golden Ratio, as do the pyramids in Egypt, the Notre Dame in Paris, and Taj Mahal in India.
Across cultures and nations, urban geometry is available, for those who care to look closer. There is a clear science behind the beauty, and our reader photographers tried to capture it through photography.
The picture competition was opened up to live voting by our Facebook readers, and they selected the top four winners, by liking the picture that they found best captured the theme. Here, we present the winners.
Editor’s note: If you would like to participate, log on to Gulf News’ Facebook page and send in your submission for June’s Facebook Reader Picture Competition.
FIRST PLACE
Bharat V. Gadilkar’s photograph went beyond city symmetry, and captured daily life, too. He took this photograph at Nandgaon, a small village in Uttar Pradesh, India and said: ‘While clicking pictures, I suddenly noticed a family on one of the rooftops. It was a perfect combination of urban geometry and daily life.’
His picture received 275 votes on Facebook, landing him in first place.
SECOND PLACE
Riyas Mohammad saw patterns and decided to click this picture at the Shaikh Zayed Desert Learning Centre in Al Ain. He used his Canon 5D camera and said: ‘I really like the unique structural design of this particular building.’
His picture received 57 votes on Facebook.
THIRD PLACE
The winding angle of Cayan Tower, Dubai, caught Mohammad Esmail Mughal’s attention.
His photograph received 32 votes on Facebook.
FOURTH PLACE
Nidin C. V.’s photograph captures the patterns of a silhouette, in Dubai. He said: ‘I took this photograph at 12 noon in Bur Dubai’s bus station. The architectural beauty caught my attention. Since it was midday, the sun’s rays seemed to pass right through the bars, and broke up the shade into parallel lines.”
His picture received 23 votes on Facebook.
