Year: 2017

Materials: acrylic, aluminum, cement, wood, crushed glass

Dimensions: 201.5” x 127.5” (512cm x 324cm)

Winner of the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Award 2017 under the patronage of Sheikha Shamsa Bint Hamdan Al Nahyan and in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation.

Rooted in the typographies of the earth, the DUNESCAPE takes inspiration from what are known as “linear sand dunes,” which are long and thin in shape, and oriented at a parallel with the direction of the wind. Designed as perfect squares, the panels signal with their shape the grounded, resilient nature of the desert and its inhabitants. The straight lines and right angles of the tanks contrast with natural variation of the sand curves within them.

The sculpture stands as a monument of landscape architecture, and serves as a reminder of our immediate surroundings just beyond the cities’ edge. Artist’s intention in this piece is to initiate a private dialogue with every viewer, and provide a refuge for meditation and contemplation. 

This sculptural installation was designed and built in three months in consultation with engineers and in collaboration with a team of fabrication specialists.