SacredArtofGeometry (SAOG Studios) at Emerson College, UK
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"The higher purpose of geometry is to participate, body, soul and spirit, in the objective universal laws that govern and cohere our universe. This activity can lead us directly to the centre of our own understanding which unifies us with the whole." Keith Critchlow
Beginnings ...
Kira Orsak and Daniel Docherty wish, first and foremost, to acknowledge their deep gratitude to two living legends:
Keith Critchlow and
Paul Marchant
To be their students, and sometimes colleagues, is, has been, and ever will be, the greatest honour.
Paul Marchant leading a PSTA study trip to Isfahan, 2011
Keith Critchlow with Docherty family, London 2012
It is with the deepest and most heartfelt appreciation that we note the recent crossing of the threshold of our beloved teacher Keith Critchlow.
May your grace, clarity of vision and unwavering pursuit of wisdom continue to guide and inspire ...
We received this message from Amanda Critchlow-Horning and Critchlow family (9 April 2020):
Keith Barry Critchlow, beloved husband, brother, father, grandfather, great grandfather, teacher and geometer died peacefully in his sleep on 8th April 2020. Although he was dealing with multiple health conditions, he remained dignified and calm to the end and chose to leave in the early hours with the fullness of this special pink super moon. We were all lucky to have shared his life, his enthusiasm for the spiritual and creative, his sense of fun and his eagerness to share his discoveries in the world of geometry and their meaning . He wove together elements from many different cultures and traditions and upheld the connectedness of all aspects of life; all delivered with a unique flair and richness. He achieved many great things in his life, creating long-lasting, far-reaching friendships and professional relationships right across the globe. He touched the lives of many, set a spark within us and leaves a legacy of learning, wise words, beautiful buildings, books and much love.
Thank you Keith, we will miss you.
16th March 1933 – 8th April 2020
Daniel Docherty, Kira Orsak, Keith Critchlow and Vija Docherty at SAOG Studios, Emerson College - Summer 2018
Who we are ...
Like a geometric pattern unfolding in space and time - from point, line and plane through sub-grid to completed pattern, so too have the lines and lives of artists and educators Kira Orsak and Daniel Docherty crossed and interwoven to form the pattern that is SacredArtofGeometry (SAOG Studios). A shared love of Wendell Berry and working with alternative and healing agricultural practices (a further layer of the pattern revealed when SacredArtofGeometry was offered a home at Tablehurst Farm); a love of the Perennial Philosophy; Wonderment; the Temenos Academy and the 'Ten Basic Principles' that inspire its work; an unease with the status quo and a realization that beauty, quite literally, is in the eye of the beholder:
'Never did eye see the Sun unless first itself becoming Sun-like' [Plotinus].
Of course the hands and heart play their part too. The Visual Islamic and Traditional Arts department of RCA to the Prince's Foundation embrace truly nourished the soul. Daniel was home and happy.
Kira was part of the next metamorphosis: VITA becomes The Prince's School of Traditional Arts (PSTA) - Plato's Academy based on the Principles of Truth, Beauty and Goodness - thriving in London's East End, a veritable hub of soul science, of alchemical and geometric wizardry!
For Daniel, bees, sourdough baking, beaches and basketry proved amiable companions to life in Australia, together with teaching, lecturing, and blossoming family.
Kira's focus, too, moves familywise as the miracle of motherhood is experienced. Design work, geometry and ceramic passion occur at intervals during baby sleep times. And so beautiful patterns continue to unfold!
Now is the time for renewed impetus ... to realign the Arts and Soul Sciences and our connection with them to the Sacred; we invite you to join us at our beautiful SAOG Studios, set in the heart of the idyllic Emerson College campus (adjoining Tablehurst Farm - our initial 'home') and a mere stone's throw from London, Brighton and Gatwick Airport! to experience how Geometry, the language of the 'ever-true, the eternally existent', can be a powerful means to this end.
Go to Courses page
Daniel Docherty presents the 2013 Barbara Blackman Temenos Foundation Lecture, NGA, Canberra, Australia
SacredArtofGeometry tutor Kira Orsak and HRH Prince Charles share a joke and a passion for Sacred Geometry