Home Journal List Journal of the Punjab University Historical Society Volume 29 Article Details

MYSTICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF POINT

Abstract

Human has always searched for visual equivalence of abstract concepts through fantasy, metaphor, allegory or symbolism. In his quest, to find the right path, he comes across many forms, which might be described as evocative or poetic, expressive of human emotions. There is one dimension that has been repeated by humanity, century after century, millennium after millennium and that is–––––Point. This conceptual form has been interlinked with human and its existence since time immemorial. Present research is based on exploring different dimensions of ‘Point’ and its analytical value in visual vocabulary with an emphasis on architectural expressions. Point is the reduced shape of a circle or circle is an expanded form of point. Close observation reveals that it is the base of all that has been of significance for human existence. Every generation is inspired by it and they have every reason to be. The galaxies of our universe were born from a central point with a Super Nova. According to a simulation by Tom Abel, an astrophysicist at Pennsylvania State University, the earliest star, gigantic and luminous, formed like a pearl inside shells of swirling gas. Zooming deeper and deeper inside a micro galaxy one millionth the mass of the Milky Way, images unveil a protostar of hydrogen and helium with a mass that will swell up to a hundred times greater than our Sun’s. During a process that took about a million years, the gas started to cool and clump together, finally collapsing in the core. That collapse triggered the nuclear fusion of hydrogen atoms and first star blazed into existence. “These stars marked the end of Dark Ages in the universe,” says Abel.

Download