In Gregory Orekhov’s site-specific land art installation, Gravity, the landscape becomes a space in which the condition of the world becomes visible. The red sphere, originally associated with the ritual of celebration and the expectation of magic, is stripped of its function and returned to the landscape as a heavy, vulnerable form without foundation. Suspended by a hemp rope from a bare century-old tree, the object exists between ground and space; neither in fall nor at rest, but in a prolonged state of uncertainty. This is not balance, but resistance to the force of gravity. The video shifts the object from linear movement into oscillation, where no trajectory alters the initial condition.

all images by Nikita Subbotin – Studiolandon

Gravity installation records a state of ongoing instability

Dragging across the ground gives way to swinging in space, yet none of these forms becomes an exit. The human figure and the object remain bound by a shared dependence on gravity, holding them together. The red color of the sphere does not function as a decorative accent. It becomes a dense visual mass in which traces of violence, loss, and historical memory converge. The color ceases to signify celebration and begins to operate as a symptom of a time in which the tragic becomes part of the everyday background. For artist Gregory Orekhov, nature in this project does not act as a space of harmony. The tree neither saves nor supports; it merely allows the object to exist, becoming a silent witness to what unfolds. This work records a condition of the world that continues to exist without foundation and without outcome.

a red sphere is suspended from a century-old tree in a forested landscape

the sphere exists in a state of prolonged suspension

gravity defines the relationship between body, object, and site

the landscape functions as an active setting rather than a backdrop

the human figure and the sphere share a dependence on gravity

the installation places the object between ground and space

the red surface appears as a dense visual mass

the landscape bears witness to a suspended state without foundation

the object remains neither falling nor at rest

project info:

name: Gravity

artist: Gregory Orekhov | @gregory.orekhov 

photographer, videographer: Nikita Subbotin – Studiolandon | @studiolandon

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom

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El Mirage is a site-specific installation by artist Gregory Orekhov, located on the dry lakebed of El Mirage in California. The work consists of a one-kilometer (3,000-foot) red polypropylene strip, unfurled along an east–west axis that mirrors the path of the sun from sunrise to sunset. The land art installation establishes a precise geometric intervention within the desert’s cracked surface. By tracing a linear path through the open terrain, the work creates a direct visual and spatial dialogue between human scale and the vastness of the surrounding landscape. Throughout the day, the appearance of the red line changes in response to shifting light conditions. At sunrise, it appears sharply defined; at midday, its edges soften against the reflective surface; and by evening, it catches the low sun, taking on a luminous quality. These temporal variations emphasize the connection between the work’s orientation and the cyclical movement of natural light. Photographers Rafael Gamo and Studiolandon capture the installation’s shifts throughout the day.

all images by Rafael Gamo unless stated otherwise

Gregory Orekhov’s red line reinterprets the passage of time

The project extends Orekhov’s ongoing exploration of linear form and spatial continuity. The red line serves as both a measurable element within the landscape and a marker of duration, a physical representation of passage across time and terrain. El Mirage also relates to the artist’s earlier installation Nowhere (2022), presented in Malevich Park, where a red line extended across a snow-covered forest. While both works share a formal simplicity, their contexts alter the perception of the gesture: in the forest, the line was a temporary trace fading into white; in the desert, it becomes a structural axis that defines orientation and presence. El Mirage positions the landscape itself as a central component of the composition. The installation bridges environmental observation and conceptual expression, reflecting on how a single line can redefine perception of distance, direction, and human relationship to space.

a one-kilometer red line stretches across the dry lakebed of El Mirage, California

the installation by Gregory Orekhov follows an east–west axis aligned with the sun’s path

the red polypropylene strip forms a geometric gesture across the cracked desert floor

a dialogue emerges between human scale and the expansive horizon

the work introduces a linear intervention within the vast, open landscape

by midday, heat and light blur its edges into the shimmering surface

at sunset, the strip glows with reflected light, merging with the horizon

the project explores how natural light transforms perception throughout the day | image by Studiolandon

the red line operates as both a physical and temporal marker in the landscape | image by Studiolandon

Orekhov’s intervention transforms an empty terrain into a spatial composition

El Mirage continues the artist’s study of linear form and spatial continuity

the simplicity of form contrasts with the complexity of its environmental context

the surrounding landscape functions as an integral part of the composition

El Mirage redefines how space, direction, and time are perceived | image by Studiolandon

project info:

name: El Mirage

artist: Gregory Orekhov | @gregory.orekhov 

location: El Mirage, California, USA

photographer: Rafael Gamo | @rafael_gamo, Studiolandon | @studiolandon

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom

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Trace of Land by ELSE Design reinterprets the hay bale as a spatial installation that unfolds across the pastures of Val Badia in the Italian Dolomites. Presented as part of SMACH 2025, the international open-air art biennale, the project transforms an agricultural object into a canopy-like structure that follows the terrain, offering places for shade, rest, and gathering.

The land art installation takes the form of a continuous path of unfurled hay bales that move with the contours of the alpine landscape. Removed from its functional role in farming, the hay bale becomes both sculptural and architectural, drawing attention to the relationship between human labor, tools, and the land.

all images by Gustav Willeit

Trace of Land becomes a site for reflection on land and labor

Typically seen as iconic remnants of agrarian life, hay bales are in fact products of industrialized processes, bundled, stored, and transported by machinery. In Trace of Land, this industrial form is loosened and reshaped, creating a structure that alternates between lying on the ground and lifting lightly to form shaded passages. The result is a temporary canopy that mediates between agricultural efficiency and natural setting.

The installation by ELSE Design Studio aligns with SMACH’s 2025 theme, la cu, the Ladin word for whetstone, a tool used to sharpen harvesting blades, by highlighting the reciprocity between human work and landscape. Visitors are invited to walk along and beneath the structure, using rectangular bales arranged as seating to pause and reflect. As time passes, the hay will naturally decompose, returning to the soil and completing a cycle of use and renewal, reinforcing the installation’s dialogue between cultivation, transformation, and the environment.

Trace of Land unfolds across the alpine pastures of Val Badia

ELSE Design reinterprets the hay bale as a sculptural installation

unfurled hay bales create a meandering canopy through the landscape

the structure follows the natural contours of the alpine terrain

the installation offers shaded spaces for gathering and reflection

an agricultural object is transformed into a temporary pavilion

rectangular bales are arranged as seating within the installation

hay bales, typically industrially produced, are loosened and reshaped

hay bales are reimagined as both architectural and sculptural elements

sections rise lightly to create passages beneath the canopy

the temporary canopy becomes a site for reflection on land and labor

project info:

name: Trace of Land

architect: ELSE Design | @design_by_else
lead designers: Zhifei Xu, Zimo Zhang

location: Val Badia, Dolomite Mountains, Italy

photographer: Gustav Willeit | @sangu

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Hajime Yoshida Architecture completes Shrine of Triskele in Toga, a mountain village in Toyama Prefecture, Japan, a structure conceived as a meditative land art project that occupies a clearing in the forest where the ground once held a river. The three-dimensional triskele form emerges at the center, rising as a geometric symbol of strength, while its outer skin blends with the earth, recalling the pit dwellings of Japan’s Jomon period. The elements create a place where visitors can look up at the framed sky, listen to the surrounding forest, and quietly reflect in nature.

images courtesy of Hajime Yoshida Architecture

spiraling into nature for a quiet moment in the woods

The chosen site at the foot of the mountains is defined by dense trees and a wide depression at its center. Vegetation grows thickly, reaching upward in unison toward the open sky above. Within this hollow, Japanese architect Hajime Yoshida introduces a structure that mirrors the forces of the landscape, earth rising and swirling, converging to support itself while carving out a void of light above. The small interior space does not stand apart from the forest but connects to it by offering a transition point between the ground and the sky.

The triskele itself is interpreted here as a spiraling, three-dimensional geometry that embodies continuity and interconnection. Its placement anchors the clearing as a rising center, a point of orientation, and a vessel for quiet human presence in the midst of natural cycles. By shaping its outer surface to sink into the soil, the project echoes ancient forms of dwelling that once grew out of the earth.

Visitors to the Shrine of Triskele are invited to sit, listen, and observe this opening in the forest that draws attention to what already exists: the strength of the earth, the vitality of plants, and the passage of time marked by rivers and cherry blossoms.

Hajime Yoshida Architecture completes Shrine of Triskele in Toga

a structure conceived as a meditative land art project

occupying a clearing in the forest where the ground once held a river

the three-dimensional triskele form emerges at the center

a geometric symbol of strength

its outer skin blends with the earth, recalling the pit dwellings of Japan’s Jomon period

the elements create a place where visitors can look up at the framed sky

the chosen site at the foot of the mountains is defined by dense trees and a wide depression at its center

Hajime Yoshida introduces a structure that mirrors the forces of the landscape

project info:

name: Shrine of Triskele
architect: Hajime Yoshida Architecture | @hajime.yoshida.architecture

location: Toga, Japan

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: thomai tsimpou | designboom

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SoftPower is a land art installation by artist Gregory Orekhov that references the form and arrangement of sandbags, objects traditionally associated with conflict zones and disaster response. In their conventional use, sandbags function as barriers, embodying urgency, protection, and resistance. In this work, the familiar form is maintained, but the material qualities are altered. Air replaces sand, and the functional weight is removed.

The installation consists of inflated, pillow-like elements stacked into a circular arrangement. Rather than creating a defensive barricade, the configuration defines an enclosed yet accessible space intended for pause and reflection. The transformation of the sandbag motif from a tool of protection to a spatial framework repositions its meaning within a cultural and artistic context.

all images by Nikita Subbotin

Gregory Orekhov’s Sandbag Installation Explores Soft Power

Installed in France, the project engages with the country’s historical role in shaping global cultural influence through non-military means, aligning with the broader notion of ‘soft power.’ In this context, the work operates as a temporary architectural gesture that shifts emphasis from defense against external threats to the preservation of cultural and intellectual values.

SoftPower by artist Gregory Orekhov can be read as a spatial study in material reinterpretation, symbolic transformation, and the capacity of art to reframe objects associated with conflict into forms that suggest openness, concentration, and non-aggressive resilience.

inflated forms replace the weight of sand

a circle of stillness in place of a barricade

sandbag shapes reimagined in air and fabric

soft volumes arranged for pause and reflection

air-filled structures echo conflict-zone geometry

an installation exploring material reinterpretation

the sandbag motif reframed in cultural context

a temporary architecture of openness

SoftPower shifts focus from threat to preservation

a visual reference to structures of protection

from barricade to sanctuary

objects of conflict recast as spaces of rest

project info:

name: SoftPower

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Five bright red metallic discs punctuate the rocky mountainscape in the UAE, their sleek, rounded forms gently carving into the terrain. As its name suggests, Deliberate Pauses by Shaikha Al Mazrou invites a physical and conceptual interruption in flow in motion to reorient its viewer’s sense of time and place. The land art installation is conceived as a trail of monumental installations, each thoughtfully but organically placed, with some forms positioned upright and others tilted into the earth.

Deliberate Pauses is about creating moments of stillness that, Shaikha Al Mazrou explains, act as a hinge between past and future. Interwoven with narratives of cultural and ecological memory, these contemplative transitions capture and subtly shift perception of the environment before releasing the viewer back into motion. The discs, in this way, leave a deliberate imprint at each encountered pause, yet ultimately recede into their surroundings as the observer moves on. ‘I wanted the discs to work with the land’s own intricacies, amplifying and negotiating with the space they inhabit, rather than asserting their presence over it,’ says the Emirati artist in a conversation with the artwork’s curator, Faysal Tabbarah.

all images courtesy of Alserkal Arts Foundation

the red discs carve into the terrain with a quiet reflection

Commissioned and produced by Alserkal Arts Foundation and Dubai Culture, Deliberate Pauses was born from a collaborative dialogue between the artist and curator, exploring how artistic practices can both preserve and leave a trace on the landscapes they inhabit. Over the course of three years, the work was gradually shaped by a series of conversations, reflections, iterations, and physical explorations of Hatta’s mountains. Shaikha Al Mazrou describes how she undertook numerous intuitive, contemplative walks through the terrain over these years, allowing herself to wander freely without a fixed plan, guided by the land itself. ‘The experience of being immersed in the landscape, without the constraint of a defined structure, mirrors my approach to land art — letting the environment shape and inform my work,’ the artist says.

She further reflects on the layers of ‘negotiation’ between impactful intervention and restraint that underlie this process and its outcome, acknowledging that the two can coexist and shape the other in unexpected ways. ‘I feel [an undeniable tension] in my work every day: the impulse to shape, to alter, to leave something of my mark on the landscape, while simultaneously resisting the urge to dominate or erase what is already there,’ she continues. This layered approach reveals a deeper commentary on the ethics of making, reinforced by Faysal Tabbarah’s approach driven by an awareness that to create within a place is also to engage with its heritage, ecology, and temporality.

Shaikha Al Mazrou and Faysal Tabbarah unveil Deliberate Pauses

the land art intervention explores various states of transition

What began as unstructured movement through the terrain ultimately led to the deliberate placement of the discs — rendered in Shaikhah Al Mazrou’s iconic red — tracing a route that invites others to pause, reflect, and engage. In this way, the work’s title speaks to the layered tensions at the heart of the work — capturing both the intentional interruptions created by the sculptures and the journey from instinctive wandering to purposeful design that shaped it. The site itself, which Faysal Tabbarah explains can be perceived as a quiet threshold in itself, deepens the work’s meaning and its explorations of these states of reflection and transition. Surrounded by the peaks of the Hajar Mountains, Hatta, he notes, ‘is a historical gateway space that is not urban, nor fully rural, but also long inhabited,’ Although it is part of the emirate of Dubai, it is located a few hours away from the bustling city and holds its own history shaped by trade and agriculture, with traces of centuries of civilizations and their fortifications.

This rich context resonates with the installation’s exploration of pause and transition, inviting those who encounter it to reflect on the cultural history woven into the land. In developing the work, the artist and architect worked closely to ensure that Deliberate Pauses fosters a sense of connection, wonder, and attentiveness to place.‘In these pauses, I want visitors to reflect on the land’s historical and cultural significance and consider their place within that continuum,’ Al Mazrou adds.

carved into the mountains of Hatta in the UAE

five monumental discs rendered in Shaikha Al Mazrou’s signature red hue

Deliberate Pauses creates an interruption in flow — of movement, of time — to create moments of stillness

some forms are positioned upright and others are tilted into the earth

forming the largest site-specific art intervention in Dubai

contrasting the ruggedness of the terrain with their metallic finish and organic forms

tracing a route that invites others to pause, reflect, and engage with the landscape

the work was developed over the course of three years

project info:

name: Deliberate Pauses

artist: Shaikha Al Mazrou

location: Hatta, Dubai, UAE

curator: Faysal Tabbarah

developer: Alserkal Arts Foundation, Dubai Culture & Arts Authority

The post five metallic discs carve shaikha al mazrou’s contemplative sculpture trail in UAE mountains appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Jeremy Deller shapes a large-scale, Roman-style mosaic on Scarborough’s Marine Drive, recalling the coast’s marine life and ancient past. Working with sculptor and mosaic artist Coralie Turpin, the Turner Prize-winning artist has unveiled his permanent work as part of Wild Eye’s series. Named Roman Mosaic c. 2025, Jeremy Deller has collaborated with local scientists, conservationists, archaeologists, and community groups for the artwork. 

The installation also concludes the series of Wild Eye, a collaborative art and nature program between Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and Invisible Dust. It brings together artists who produce artworks for people in the Scarborough and Whitby area. These are installations related to the theme of wildlife found along the North Yorkshire coast. Some of the artists who have worked for the series include Juneau Projects, Ryan Gander, Shezad Dawood with Daisy Hildyard, Emma Smith, and Paul Morrison.

all images courtesy of Wild Eye | photos by Jules Lister

Artwork as part of Seawatching Station in Scarborough, UK

Jeremy Deller’s Roman Mosaic c. 2025 forms part of the newsly launched Seawatching Station on Marine Drive in Scarborough, UK. Spanning the floor of the sea-watching station, visitors can view the fragmentary installation and mosaic up close. Once they do, they can study the small blocks that make up the permanent artwork. Patches of visual stories come into view. A sailing boat wades through the water, cruising with its tiny net out. Then, there’s a large humpback whale swimming underneath the vessel. Above the boat, two dolphins seemingly act playful.

It’s a cacophony of history and story around Jeremy Deller’s Roman Mosaic c. 2025. A Roman bust blows gusts; a lobster clamps fish on its left claw; a seal opens its mouth, ready to snap up another fish; a half-bodied manta ray swims; a squid with two wide eyes floats; and birds fly. In a podcast interview with the Social Broadcasts, the artist, alongside the sculptor, says that the references around Roman Mosaic c. 2025 allow bird spotters, anglers, and people who are into the local wildlife to recognize them immediately. If they don’t look closely, they might miss his nod to the walrus that came up from the sea a few years ago and sat on the very pier he shapes his artwork on.

Jeremy Deller shapes a large-scale, Roman-style mosaic on Scarborough’s Marine Drive

Roman history and ancient technique for the installation

Jeremy Deller’s Roman Mosaic c. 2025 is meant to be viewed from above or a high place, like from the sea-watching station. The first time he visited the site on Marine Drive, nothing pulled him when he looked at the empty space at the pier. He started thinking about how he could make it interesting. Nothing came up until he was on his way back to the city: a public artwork best seen from above. Off he went, but before he started, he had to find a mosaicist. He admitted not having the technical skills to pull something so large on his own. 

Enter Coralie Turpin, who helped bring his marine-life vision to life. Jeremy Deller didn’t imagine a complete artwork for Roman Mosaic c. 2025, and it resulted in that way. It’s a speculative mosaic, one where the visitors hold the vision to complete the canvas on their own. What he knows for sure is that Scarborough has a Roman history; hence, his use of the ancient technique for the installation. For one, there’s a Roman signal station on the headland just above the site as well as a nearby castle with Roman remains inside. But that theme alone may not resonate with the rich marine life in the area, so Jeremy Deller brought over the motifs that invoke such. From today on, the artists’ Roman Mosaic c. 2025 remains on Marine Drive, recollecting ancient memories and the wildlife’s ebb and flow.

the artwork evidently recalls the coast’s marine life and ancient past

the artist has worked with sculptor Coralie Turpin for the permanent mosaic

detailed view of the artwork

as seen, it’s best to view Roman Mosaic from above

Roman Mosaic c. 2025 by Jeremy Deller and Coralie Turpin

the permament artwork is on Scarborough’s Marine Drive in the UK

project info:

name: Roman Mosaic c. 2025

artists: Jeremy Deller, Coralie Turpin | @jeremydeller, @coralie_turpin_sculptor

collaboration with: Wild Eye, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, Invisible Dust | @yorkshirewildlifetrust_, @invisible_dust

photography: Jules Lister | @juleslisterphotography

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The Blue Water Catcher is a temporary installation developed by Canalside Studio in collaboration with the NGO A Drop of Life. Located in the rural setting of Kuk Po, a historic Hakka village in the northeastern New Territories of Hong Kong, the project integrates water harvesting systems with site-specific land art to support environmental education and awareness.

The installation demonstrates rainwater and fog collection techniques through a modular and transportable design system. Five large blue elements, each resembling a water droplet, were constructed using painted rattan baskets, porous fabric, and bamboo framing. These structures serve dual functions, visually referencing water and physically collecting it. Porous fabric captures mist in ‘mist mode,’ while in ‘rain mode,’ precipitation is funneled through plastic tubing into a nearby well. The structures are supported by water-filled counterweights embedded in the soil.

all images courtesy of Canalside Studio

Blue Water Catcher employs bamboo and rattan elements

The system references both contemporary environmental concerns and local historical practices. Designers at Canalside Studio mirror the irrigation infrastructure built by Kuk Po villagers during the Qing dynasty through a network of plastic pipes. Though no longer maintained, these historical systems once irrigated the area’s agricultural land, now overtaken by brackish wetlands. These wetlands support mangroves, egrets, mudskippers, and other ecologically significant species.

Designed for low-impact installation in remote areas, the Blue Water Catcher employs lightweight, scalable materials suitable for rural deployment. The bamboo and rattan elements are easily transportable, and the use of color and form draws from visual precedents such as Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s The Gates, emphasizing contrast with the surrounding landscape.

five blue droplet-like structures form the Blue Water Catcher installation

Blue Water Catcher can be dismantled and reassembled

Originally intended as a seasonal summer installation in 2024, Blue Water Catcher by Canalside Studio was later reassembled as a temporary light installation for the inaugural Countryside Harvest Festival in January 2025. It aligns with the objectives of the Water Experience BaseCamp, which offers hands-on education about water scarcity and conservation.

Access to Kuk Po is limited to foot or boat, subject to special permit, making the site an effective location for experiential learning. The Blue Water Catcher also received recognition through a Nomination Award at the inaugural Better Design Award in China. The project was made possible through support from A Drop of Life, the Design Trust (via a Seed Grant), the Countryside Conservation Office, and the PolyU Design curatorial team.

the water collected is transported via the plastic tubes to be stored in a nearby well

porous fabric captures moisture from mist and rain in two distinct collection modes

rattan baskets, bamboo frames, and fabric make each water-collecting structure

painted blue, the rattan baskets sit on a bamboo structure

in Mist Mode, the fabric stays on to collect mist in the air with its enlarged surface area

in Rain Mode, the fabric is removed so that the baskets can collect rainwater directly

Blue Water Catcher located within the Water Experience BaseCamp of A Drop of Life

the interior of the rattan baskets is lined with blue plastic sheets to help collect water

porous blue fabric allows for a larger surface area to collect mist

plastic tubes are tied to the bamboo structure

Blue Water Catcher turned into a light installation at night, for the Countryside Harvest Festival

Canalside Studio aims to expand the Blue Water Catcher to the whole Kuk Po valley and plain

project info:

name: Blue Water Catcher
designer: Canalside Studio | @canalside.studio
location: Kuk Po, Hakka, Hong Kong, China

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Land Art Contemporary and Holt/Smithson Foundation announce that Robert Smithson’s Broken Circle/Spiral Hill is officially designated as a provincial monument by the Province of Drenthe, securing a sustainable future for the landmark earthwork in Emmen, Netherlands. Created in 1971, the artwork is the only surviving earthwork by Smithson outside the United States and is now protected for future generations. Typically closed to the public due to its location on private land, Broken Circle/Spiral Hill will be accessible this year, allowing visitors to experience the site across all four seasons.

Broken Circle/Spiral Hill was previously made accessible for a limited time in 2021 to mark its 50th anniversary (find designboom’s interview on with Lisa Le Feuvre, Holt/Smithson Foundation executive director here). Now, with its new status as a monument, the site will once again open to visitors for eight weekends across 2025.

Broken Circle/Spiral Hill by Robert Smithson (1971) | image: Beeldkrakers (2024), courtesy Land Art Lives and Kunstmuseum M.

netherlands’ landmark earthwork reopens for limited visits

Designed for the 1971 exhibition Sonsbeek Buiten de Perken, Smithson’s Broken Circle/Spiral Hill sits within an active sand quarry, engaging with the industrial and geological history of the region. The artwork consists of two interconnected elements: Broken Circle, a jetty extending into the teal waters of the quarry with an Ice Age-era boulder at its center, and Spiral Hill, a conical mound with a winding path that offers panoramic views of the site.

‘The only surviving “earth work” by Smithson outside the US is now better protected for the future,’ expresses Anne Reenders of Land Art Contemporary, welcoming the recognition of the artwork’s significance. ‘Robert Smithson is an artist who rethought the possibilities of art. We are extremely happy that this unique artwork has been made a provincial monument,’ adds Lisa Le Feuvre. 

In collaboration with the owners of the site and local partners, Land Art Contemporary is organizing field trips in spring, summer, autumn, and winter of 2025, offering visitors the opportunity to experience Broken Circle/Spiral Hill throughout the changing seasons. The excursions will be hosted in partnership with DIEP—space for visual arts in Emmen.

Robert Smithson, Broken Circle / Spiral Hill (1971) | image ©Holt/Smithson Foundation, under license of Artists Rights Society, New York.

Robert Smithson, Broken Circle / Spiral Hill (1971) | image ©Holt/Smithson Foundation, under license of Artists Rights Society, New York.

Broken Circle/Spiral Hill by Robert Smithson | image: Jan Niks (1971), courtesy Land Art Contemporary

Broken Circle/Spiral Hill by Robert Smithson (1971) | image: Beeldkrakers (2024), courtesy Land Art Lives and Kunstmuseum M.

project info:

name: Broken Circle/Spiral Hill
artist: Robert Smithson | @holtsmithsonfoundation
location: Emmen, Netherlands
date: 1971 (designation as provincial monument in 2024)

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James Turrell brings his sensorial artworks to the historic old town of AlUla, Saudi Arabia, for the ‘Wadi AlFann presents James Turrell’ exhibition. A prelude to his Land Art commission for Wadi AlFann (an open-air museum, the ‘Valley of the Arts’), the exhibition charts his legacy as a pioneering Light and Space artist and reveals a first glimpse at his upcoming colossal installation in the desert expanse. The untitled work is set to be constructed within the next four years and builds upon his ongoing explorations into the phenomena of color, space, and perception while using AlUla’s dramatic natural landscape and its purity of light as muse. Beyond creating an ethereal space to stage optical, cosmic encounters, it will also function as a permanent museum showcasing many of Turrell’s significant works.

A sequence of vast pathways, tunnels, chambers, and staircases will be carved into the canyon floor. As visitors navigate through, under, and out of the earth, and between lightness and darkness, they traverse a sensorial, singular experience of the land and the sky. Wadi AlFann’s Lead Curator Iwona Blazwick notes that the outdoor subterranean oculi, called Skyspaces, will be ‘cosmic observatories’ that dissolve horizons and challenge perceptions of celestial light. These circular spaces frame the shifting hues of the sky above as Turrell manipulates the context of vision while descending further leads into the Sun/Moon Chamber where the earth and cosmos are connected via what Turrell calls a ‘lensless telescope’. Above ground, the site expands into a planetary diagram etched into the earth, surrounded by sandstone mountains and crowned by an obelisk marking the sun’s passage like a sundial. The spaces present a surreal experience of Turrell’s philosophy of the ‘thingness of light’, examining the very nature of seeing where light itself becomes the revelation. Alongside revealing plans for the land art, the exhibition showcases some of Turrell’s most influential light sculptures to kick off the AlUla Arts Festival which runs from January 16 to February 22. ‘Wadi AlFann presents James Turrell’ will remain on view at AlJadidah Arts District until April 19.

all images © James Turrell, courtesy of the Royal Commission for AlUla

inside the upcoming colossal land art

James Turrell’s land art for Wadi AlFann builds upon his ongoing work at Roden Crater, where for the last five decades he has been reshaping an extinct volcano in the desert of Northern Arizona with light. This manifestation in AlUla of the same methodologies he has been continuing to develop will reactivate the desert wilderness as an immersive ‘naked-eye observatory’ of light and space, inviting visitors to journey deep into the earth. ‘The work envisioned for Wadi AlFann will have two large Skyspaces and two small Skyspaces, that each addresses different aspects of sky. All of my Skyspaces engage the natural light of the area. The light quality in AlUla is of dry desert air with little moisture, which yields a light in the sky that is crisp and clear,’ says the American artist. These cosmic observatories, as Michael Goven of LACMA, the exhibition’s Guest Curator, shares, are apertures in the ceiling that allow us to measure the movement of the sky and earth in time with our eyes.

Visitors will navigate hundreds of meters of tunnels carved into the mountain, culminating in a series of celestial experiences that forge optical and physical connections with astronomical time. One such feature is the obelisk surrounded by a constellation map which ‘lays out the stars and celestial bodies above us, showing their exact positions in orbit using LEDs that highlight their paths,’ the curatorial team tells designboom as we explore the exhibition. The journey leads to a central plaza and Skyspaces that use only natural light to reveal phenomena rarely visible to the naked eye. During the winter solstice, for instance, the path of sunlight is projected in the sunroom chamber. ‘Across the white marble, you’ll be able to see the spots and flares of the real sun above us that we can’t usually see, as well as the craters and dark spots of the moon. The artist is trying to connect us to these celestial bodies, bringing them into our lived-in space,’ they continue. The experience also features two underground chambers offering contrasting experiences of boundlessness. The Ganzfeld chamber immerses visitors in pure, colored light that dissolves walls and creates a dimensionless void. In contrast, the Wedgework chamber uses precise planes of light to create luminous forms that layer over one another, producing a dreamlike interplay between solidity and dissolution, evoking what Turrell describes as ‘a light that looks like the light you see in your dream.’

James Turrell unveils renders for his upcoming land art installation in Wadi AlFann

a survey of turrell’s mastery of light, color, and perception

Alongside presenting renders and a short film where James Turrell outlines his plans for the land art in Wadi AlFann, the exhibition gathers some of Turrell’s earliest light works alongside some of his most recent creations. The exhibition surveys the American artist’s mastery of holding and directing light — both artificial and celestial — as a medium for shaping sensory experiences. Immersing visitors in what Turrell describes as ‘the wordless thought that comes from looking at a fire,’ each work is then a meditation on the nature of perception. His cross-corner projection work Alta, an ethereal pyramid of light first created in 1968, sculpts a translucent volume into darkness with the immaterial element. As we move from one of its edges to the other appears to slightly rotate, its luminous pink-violet planes appear almost solid in this illusion.

His Jubilee installation pulses an intricately intense composition of color and light. Hypnotic discs of light seem to shift imperceptibly and emerge from another dimension, carrying viewers seamlessly from dazzling crimson to icy blue hues. As Guest Curator Michael Govan explains, the vibrant reds and blues we observe are not solely present in the light projected but are partially constructed in our minds. When our eyes encounter a vivid red and it disappears, the complementary afterimage of green overlays the subsequent hues, creating entirely new colors in our perception. Turrell reminds us that even the sky’s color is not fixed or given to us — it is ‘awarded’ through our context of vision. This interplay between light and perception mirrors the oculus Turrell plans to install in Wadi AlFann, a sphere that, like Jubilee, feels like a portal to an alternate reality. He builds on this optical illusion in a small, framed canvas with his Hologram series, where a slender shard of light appears to float, uncontained in the picture plane in juxtaposition.

the subterranean oculi — Skyspaces — are ‘cosmic observatories’ that frame the shifting hues of the sky above

the untitled work builds upon Turrell’s ongoing investigations into the phenomena of color, space, and perception

a sequence of vast pathways, tunnels, chambers, and staircases will be carved into the canyon floor

envisioned as a portal to an alternate reality through light

the exhibition kicks off the AlUla Arts Festival

Alta, an ethereal pyramid of light first created in 1968, sculpts a translucent pink volume into darkness with light

an optical illusion in a small, framed canvas where a slender shard of light appears to float

Jubilee pulses an intricately intense composition of color and light

hypnotic discs of light seem to shift imperceptibly and emerge from another dimension

as Govan explains, the vibrant reds and blues we observe are not solely present in the light projected

the vivid, shifting hues are partially constructed in our minds, as Turrell manipulates the light

this artwork mirrors the oculus Turrell plans to install in Wadi AlFann

project info:

name: Land Art commission for Wadi AlFann

artist: James Turrell 

location: AlUla, Saudi Arabia

program: AlUla Arts Festival | @artsalula

dates: January 16 – February 22, 2025

exhibition: Wadi AlFann presents James Turrell

dates: January 16 – April 19, 2025

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