bottega veneta sculpts sand-colored seats into patterns of sound waves for dubai installation

Bottega Veneta brings ‘waves’ to OMA-constructed concrete

For ‘Waves’, Bottega Veneta shapes the sand-colored seats into sculptural sound ripples as part of their installation in Dubai. Held inside Alserkal Avenue’s CONCRETE, OMA’s first completed project in the UAE, the event is an evening of sound art and musical performances by six artists. The space, soft-lit in semi-staurated orange lighting to bring out the dessert-like feature of the seating, is designed by Lebanese architect Carl Gerges in close collaboration with Matthieu Blazy. The continuous benches curve and swirl as they reference the landscape of the desert and its ever-changing forms, as well as the patterns of sound waves.

all images courtesy of Bottega Veneta

spatial composition of Lebanese artist Tarek Atoui leads the night

Bottega Veneta’s Waves is atmospheric, and rightly so because of the spatial composition of the Lebanese artist Tarek Atoui. His instruments, which autonomously play changing sound pieces, lead the musical performances curated by the brand. More so, the sounds that emerge from his habitual objects create a diaphonous sense within this topographic seating. Lights transition as the sounds filter in and out, and the viewers recline, cross their legs, or place their elbows on their thighs as they cozy up in the sand-colored benches. Even from afar, the grainy texture of the material appears visible, perfecting the replica of the sand, be it still or being blown by the winds.

for ‘Waves’, Bottega Veneta shapes the sand-colored seats into sculptural sound ripples

Musical performances by artists from the middle east

Over the course of the evening, other artists perform their pieces, including Palestinian-Jordanian singer and songwriter Zeyne; Palestinian-Canadian singer-songwriter Nemahsis, Kuwaiti artist, composer, and producer Fatima Al Qadiri; Egyptian singer and composer Dina El Wedidi; and Moroccan musician Bachir Attar, legendary leader of the Master Musicians of Jajouka, a group renowned for their spiritual music rooted in centuries-old Sufi traditions. The artists across the Middle East soothe the viewers through a carousel of their melodies, all the while the viewers sink into the sand-colored seats, imagining and thinking in and out of the Bottega Veneta’s Waves.

the event is held inside Alserkal Avenue’s CONCRETE, OMA’s first completed project in the UAE