karim + elias' desert relics installation rises like totems in UAE

karim + elias’ desert relics echo desert hues as mystical totems

Sculpted with the sand it rises from, Karim + Elias’ Desert Relics in the Mleiha Archaeological Reserve reimagines ancient artifacts through its towering totemic forms. The land art adopts the UAE’s rolling dunes and mountains as its backdrop, as it revives — in sculptural, mystical expressions — the technique of rammed earth architecture.

An ode to this historic context — a UNESCO World Heritage Site bearing traces of the Paleolithic and Islamic periods — the twelve modular structures evoke the shapes of stacked vessel vases, ancient stones, and even a grand bejeweled necklace. Each embraces a unique silhouette and scale with surfaces that reflect the pigments, textures, and contours of the desert, recalling traditions that have permeated the crafts of ancient civilizations. The installation was unveiled at the Tanweer Festival in November 2024, and will remain on site permanently.

all images by Elias El Hage

reviving rammed earth construction in sculptural expressions

Karim + Elias continue their exploration of vernacular techniques such as rammed earth construction across a monumental scale with The Desert Relics. Here, the Mleiha Archaeological Reserve in Sharjah, known for its extensive collection of the region’s artefactual heritage, informs the artwork’s almost otherworldly, spiritual presence. Drawing on this history, the Dubai-based architects visually evoke the idea of an artifact unearthed and revered, a treasured finding, rendered from a variety of vessel-like geometries.

Karim Tamerji and Elias El Hage have built their practice around unconventional, sculptural explorations of rammed earth — a technique that dates back millennia and involves hand-compressing layers of natural materials like sand, clay, and water into durable, sedimentary forms. This method, connecting their projects to the land while reviving an ecologically mindful, locally-rooted craft, has been seen in their previous modular works such as From This Earth exhibited in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, and IOTA at Dubai Design Week.