Art Sanctuary

Mehdi Sabet, Rami Alotaibi, Sulaf Aburas
Designed for Site #1 in Dubai, near Ras al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary.

Design Submission for the 2010 Land Art Generator Initiative Design Competition

Artist’s descriptive text:
It is not enough to just ‘love nature’ or to want to ‘be in harmony with her. Our relationship to the natural world must occur in a place, and it must be grounded in information and experience. Art Sanctuary seeks to create an outside/inside design, which integrates nature and art into visitors’ lives. The site energy and forces offer clues to the creation of a tranquil realm where man and nature can coexist in harmony.

Inside and under, visitors experience an unfolding series of panoramic views, delighting the eye in every season and drawing the imagination deeper into the lagoon, the sky, and the flora and fauna. The design employs continuously undulating vertical/horizontal/diagonal art forms which span low and high grounds. The simple forms are composed of linear elements made of lightweight fiberglass tubes with exterior photovoltiacs.

Each houses identical micro-wind turbine units attached at one end to capture wind and to produce power that is stored in batteries below ground. The battery storage is then connected to the city power grid. Above the earth, Art Sanctuary is a public realm to accommodate place for meditation and contemplation, conversation and communication, engagement in art making and art installation, leisurely walking, observing nature and capturing moments of light/space/color.