Alan Adams retired in 2008 to pursue a lifelong interest in understanding the structure of Islamic geometric art, particularly the stunning executions in wood of the Mamluks. A grounding in technical drawing from years as a draftsman, before the introduction of CAD, and a career as a scientist served as a foundation for a self-taught path. As an independent learner, he quickly realised there was no solid introductory text to guide newcomers. In response, he created a community Facebook page in February 2014 to share knowledge, questions, and discoveries—both his own and those of the thousands of members who have joined since. Contributions from experts and beginners alike have made it a lively and valuable forum. Members frequently exchange drawing tips, answers to specific technical questions, and discussions of the geometric foundations of Islamic designs. The ideal end of Alan’s journey would be to master the Mamluk art of wooden panel construction in intricate pattern and to describe it in an English language publication.

Rajen’s two strongest passions are music and Islamic geometry. His first contact with the art of Islamic geometric pattern happened when he accidentally came across a postcard with the view of a historical monument in Bukhara. That moment revealed to him a strong and deep connection with this artform. His exploration was occasional for the first few years and then turned into systematic research. His interest is mostly concentrated within the “Eastern” (Persian and Central Asian) tradition of the artform.

After obtaining a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and Fine Arts, followed by a Master’s degree in Islamic Art History and a doctorate in History, Serap primarily focuses her research on Islamic architecture, geometric patterns, and cultural history. She also teaches courses on these subjects and has published books and articles in this field.

Ameet Hindocha is an artist and designer with a long-standing interest in mathematics, nature and pattern and their expression in the visual arts. In recent years this has manifested itself in ongoing research and application of geometric principles to a wide variety of media and processes.  He also teaches on the Foundation Art & Design Diploma at Camberwell College of Arts.

Marzieh Kaviani is an artist who was born and brought up in Shiraz, Iran, in a culture where crafts and traditions are still part of daily life. Since very early childhood she showed interest and talent in art by imitating the crafts that were practiced by her parents and learned many basic techniques before going to school. She pursued science as it seemed to have the answer for her curiosity about how the world works. In 2016 she was awarded a Msc. in Biotechnology. However, creative activities and making crafts never stopped during these years of studying science. About seven years ago she started to practice geometry as a hobby and gradually had the chance to meet other geometers from all around the world via online classes and was recognized as a promising artist to the online community of artists. In 2021 Marzieh became a member of Fars Masters of Handicraft Society and started a small business making ornamented wooden boxes.

In 2023 she moved to London to do an MA in Traditional Arts in the King’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts and graduated with a Distinction in 2025. In her research at the KFSTA she was looking for connections and overlaps of geometric patterns and patterns in the living world and she found similar patterns in pattern formation and cell division.

Katya Nosyreva, PhD, is a ceramicist, visual artist, and geometer. Living with her family on Dartmoor, UK, she works with porcelain clay and the visual and symbolic language of sacred geometry. Katya’s PhD research (School of Traditional Arts, 2013) combined her studio practice with geometry. She designed and made an architectural space for a Sufi centre in Delhi, India. This work explored the practice of traditional craft within contemporary Sufism.    During the course of her PhD research, Katya worked with historical manuals and architectural scrolls on practical geometry. These treasures from the medieval Islamic guild-tradition document practical geometric methods and reveal much about historic approaches. In working with these manuals, Dr Nosyreva finds inspiration for the contemporary geometer.

Jyotika Purwar is an interior architect based in Mumbai, India. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Interior Architecture from CEPT University, Ahmedabad, and an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. For the past eight years, she has led her own design practice, working on a wide range of residential and commercial projects.

Her passion for architectural history has taken her across the globe—to Spain, Morocco, Egypt, Turkey, Japan, and beyond—where she has documented and studied buildings of historical and cultural significance. These travels have deepened her fascination with geometry as a universal language of design.

Over the last six years, Jyotika has been engaged in an in-depth exploration of geometric designs in architecture, studying how material, craft, and mathematical precision come together to create meaning and beauty. This journey has gradually led her back to her own heritage in Mughal architecture.

Agra, her hometown, remains a constant source of inspiration. Here, she finds resonance between global influences—particularly from Persia and the Ottoman world—and the distinctive Indian expressions that evolved under the Mughals. Her current work focuses on comprehensively studying, analysing, and tracing these influences, from the planning of monumental sites to the ornamentation and vast pattern systems that define their surfaces.

Chris Riederer is an artist, painter and woodworker from Denver, USA. He is endlessly fascinated by patterns and explores this interest in a variety of mediums. His daily practice of exploratory and improvisational geometric drawing is the foundation of his creative work.

Chris has been teaching geometric and biomorphic design workshops as part of the School of Traditional Arts’ international outreach programmes. Through this work he has discovered a passion for teaching and has developed his skillset to better guide students toward a beautiful artistic result.

Simon Trethewey is the former Director of Studies for the MA program at The King’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts. He studied at the Royal College of Art in the Visual Islamic and Traditional Arts department with Professor Keith Critchlow and Paul Marchant, graduating with Distinction in 1991. Using the universal language of geometry as source and inspiration, Simon worked for many years as a painter in the medium of egg tempera on gesso. He also works in ceramics and stained glass, designing for a contemporary architectural context. He has exhibited internationally, notably with the British Council in New Delhi and Mumbai where he was a Commonwealth Scholar. Simon’s recent research explores the cosmological proportions found in ancient cultures. This geometry’s timeless relevance forms the basis of teaching materials presented as part of the MA programme. In the practice of traditional arts, these same principles are essential components of design.   

Born in Japan and raised in Iran and Toronto, Safoura Zahedi is an architect, artist, and educator. She brings a cross-cultural and interdisciplinary approach to the study of geometry and how it can be used as a spiritual design tool to create spatial experiences that encourage curiosity, meditation, and connection. She holds a Master of Architecture from the University of Toronto, where her thesis investigated processes of translating traditionally 2D geometric patterns into contemporary 3D spatial experiences using computational design and digital fabrication techniques. She is a sessional lecturer at the Toronto Metropolitan University and is a frequent guest speaker and critic at various Canadian universities. In 2022-23, Safoura traveled to 17 countries to pursue international field-based research focused on the use of geometric patterns in architecture and handcrafts across major historic Islamic dynasties. “365 Days of Geometry” is an Instagram project devoted to chronicling her encounters and experimentation with objects and architecture and reflections on the relationships between geometric typologies, material choices, cultural histories, and spiritual philosophies.

Dr Lisa DeLong completed her doctoral studies at the School in 2007 investigating the principles of geometric design in Islamic and Western traditions. She is the author of Curves: Flowers, Foliates and Flourishes in the Formal Decorative Arts. An avid painter, Lisa is also Outreach Programme Manager for the School, designing and conducting educational workshops internationally.