glass blown stereotomy shapes tomoko sauvage and AAU anastas' sound installation

Tomoko Sauvage collaborates with elias and yousef anastas

Merging immersive structural and sonic systems, Serpentine Bell by sound artist Tomoko Sauvage and Palestinian architects Elias and Yousef Anastas is an exploration of practices rooted in local tradition and global experimentation. The installation extends the architects’ ongoing research into the potentiality and metaforicity of structural stone and its associated significance in the context of Palestinian geology. Here, glass — a material typically associated with fragility and transparency — takes on the weight-bearing role held by stone in delicate expressions.

The conical structure invites visitors to slide underneath to gaze up at its bubbling forms that refract rays of light and moments from their surroundings. Tomoko Sauvage further elevates the work’s sensory dimensions by infusing an audial layer to the glass blown stereotomy. Water seethes within the glass bowls, creating oscillating sounds that evoke the organic morphologies found in nature, aligning with the inherent fluidity of the glass structure.

all images courtesy of Makoto Chill Ôkubo

serpentine bell intertwines stone, glass, water, and sound

Elevated 1.35 meters above the ground on steel stilts, Serpentine Bell’s volume is woven from 103 individually crafted glass modules known as voussoirs. Brothers Elias and Yousef Anastas have translated into this new materiality the principles of stereotomy — a traditional technique associated with stone construction. Each interface between the voussoirs is a doubly curved ruled surface which ensures the structural integrity of the bell, supporting the next element, while adding lateral strength.

Drawing on Palestine’s heritage of glass craftsmanship and stoneworks, the sculptural installation speaks to the need for material exploration and the global interchange of knowledge across various cultures and disciplines. Elias and Yousef Anastas, founders of architectural practice AAU Anastas, offer new perspectives on their ongoing Stonematters research. Working with Paris based Japanese artist and musician Tomoko Sauvage, their intersection of sound, art, and architecture uncovers how provincial ways of doing can together create something that speaks a universal language — in terms of creative expression, and the way people experience art. 

the conical structure invites visitors to slide underneath to gaze up at its bubbling forms

created by Tomoko Sauvage and Elias and Yousef Anastas

Serpentine Bell merges structural and sonic systems

composed of stone, glass, water, and sound

woven from 103 individually crafted glass modules known as voussoirs

the surface refracts rays of light and moments from its surroundings

water within the glass bowls creates oscillating sounds that evoke the organic morphologies found in nature

each interface between the voussoirs is a doubly curved ruled surface

Elias and Yousef Anastas offer new perspectives on their ongoing Stonematters research

created with the support of Arcam Glass, FABRICA, and SNBR

1/7

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

project info:

name: Serpentine Bell

sound artist: Tomoko Sauvage | @tomokosauvage

artists and architects: Elias Anastas, Yousef Anastas | @aauanastas

commissioned by: Ruinart, Reims

production: Arcam Glass (glass), FABRICA (steel), SNBR (stone)

photography: Makoto Chill Ôkubo