The medina is the old walled quarter, and what characterises it architecturally is screening: latticework at the window, pierced plaster on the wall, carved wood over the opening, all of it made to let light and air through while keeping the interior private. Medina takes that vocabulary as its subject.
The lattice is drawn in the Moorish manner, interlocking stars and polygons resolving into one another, and it is given a drop shadow throughout. That shadow is the design's whole device. It lifts the pattern off the ground so the screen appears to stand a little proud of the wall, and because the shadow falls consistently the eye reads real depth where there is none. Move along the wall and the effect shifts slightly, which is what Martyn Lawrence Bullard meant by the movement of life behind the screen.
A 53 cm straight repeat on a 0.53 m roll gives one full lattice module per drop, which keeps the geometry honest and the hanging straightforward. It works particularly well in enclosed rooms where the pattern can turn the corner and continue: a cloakroom, a dressing room, a dining room, a small hall. Lamplight sharpens the shadow and deepens the relief, so it is a design that improves as the evening goes on.
