here at designboom, we take great pride in the open dialogue we maintain with our readers. each year we receive thousands of submissions from all over the world, and 2021 has been no different. in a year that has been all about overcoming a global health crisis, we saw architects, designers and artists make great efforts to build the new normality. thanks to our readers, we’ve been able to see creativity and innovation exhibited in a huge range of installations.

before we move into 2022, we take a look back at some of the most inspired installation projects submitted by designboom readers. from a hyper-realistic rock vehicle to a house-shaped coffin for architects, we highlight our TOP 10 reader submissions of 2021 – installations.

BOAT OR ROCK? A MOVING ROCK FORMATION IS SEEN OFF THE COAST OF MARSEILLE

image courtesy of julien berthier

artist julien berthier built a hyper-realistic rock with epoxy resin placing it on top of a worn-out found boat. l’invisible takes shape as an artificial rock that modestly intrudes the environment of marseille’s coast and gently modifies its landscape. the rock can be driven and cruises around, creating the awkward vision of a drifting landscape.

JEROEN VAN LOON PRINTS THE ENTIRE GUTENBERG BIBLE ONTO 12KM OF FIBER OPTIC CABLE

image courtesy of gert jan van rooij

for this art installation, jeroen van loon combines text from the gutenberg bible with youtube comments, all of which are printed onto 12km of glass fiber cable. called ‘permanent data’, the piece reflects on revolutionary forms of communication: from the printing press to the internet.

LINEAR REFLECTIVE PIECE BY PHILLIP K. SMITH III + SOM MIRRORS THE CALIFORNIAN LANDSCAPE

image courtesy of lance gerber

in collaboration with skidmore, owings & merrill (SOM), artist phillip k. smith III has completed ‘santa monica linear’, a 9-meter (30-foot) -long monolithic reflective piece, floating on a verdant slope in california. commissioned for a private collection, the sculpture mirrors the surrounding eucalyptus trees, defining a tall wall of green on the northeast side of the client’s historic and sprawling ray kappe home and property. flanked by an early james turrell skyspace and a 12-meter (40-foot) -tall nancy rubins kayak sculpture, the artwork’s location holds ingrained importance when visiting the property.

SpY REFLECTS ON THE SYMBOLISM OF THE OCULUS WITH HUGE BLACK SPHERE INSTALLATION IN SPAIN

image courtesy of rubenp bescos and josema cutillas

on the occasion of the international festival of ephemeral architecture ‘concéntrico 07’, urban artist SpY unveils ‘blackout’, a huge black sphere installed in the oculus of the logroño train station in spain. with this public art intervention, SpY proposes a reflection through the historical symbolism of the oculus as a window of the gods’ omnipresent observation. the piece creates a parallel at a time when the digital has gained a full presence in our lives through technological windows, establishing itself by way of surveillance, algorithmic observation, and a new predictive cybernetic order.

PHOTOGRAPHER BUILDS 9 MASSIVE WAVES OF DEADWOOD IN A FOREST NEAR HAMBURG

between november 2020 and march 2021, when germany was facing a deadly second wave of COVID-19, artist and photographer jörg gläscher decided to spend his time in a forest near hamburg to create a series of artistic installations reflecting on the pandemic. gläscher didn’t cut down any branches but instead gathered deadwood from the forest floor and used it to construct nine waves, which he photographed and then promptly destroyed in order to reuse the materials.

‘VIEWFINDER’ IS A LARGE PERISCOPE-LIKE SCULPTURE THAT REFLECTS THE OCEAN BELOW

image courtesy of henrique fanti

australian artist joel adler has created a site specific periscope-like sculpture that reflects a previously unseen view of the ocean below. originally built for sculpture by the sea bondi 2019, the artwork is now permanently installed at lighthouse reserve in sydney’s coastal suburb of vaucluse.

NRJA DESIGNS A COFFIN FOR ARCHITECTS AND GUESS WHAT, IT’S BLACK AND SHAPED LIKE A HOUSE

image courtesy of NRJA

architects have a particular stereotype when it comes to their own style, black clothes and statement spectacles come to mind. now, latvia-based NRJA has taken it one step further with ‘last house on a dead end street’, a coffin created specifically for architects. playing with the shape of the archetypal dwelling, the minimal resting place is designed for those whose tastes don’t agree with traditionally ornate coffins.

FUSION PAINT-POURING TURNS NATIONAL FOOTBALL STRIPS INTO COLORFUL MARBLED BALLS

in november last year, scotland qualified for euro 2020, their first major men’sfootball tournament since 1998.inspired by the tartan army’s unbelievable success, scottish artist craig black created ‘the fusion series – footballs’, an artistic installation that takes the colors from countries’ national kits and pours them over footballs to stunning marble effect.

THIS RESTAURANT’S THREE-DIMENSIONAL TIME WARP GIVES DINERS AN UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE IN SPAIN

image courtesy of vitamin studio

for the opening of their third gastronomic proposal, the voltereta group commissioned vitamin studio to generate a concept based on an interactive video mapping experience with a single purpose: taking diners on a great trip that will become an unforgettable experience.for this project, vitamin studio created a three-dimensional time warp for their new restaurant in valencia city, spain.

A SYMBOLIC CROSSWALK TRAVERSES MOSCOW RIVER IN LAND ART BY GREGORY OREKHOV

image courtesy of konstantin antipin

gregory orekhov manifests the choices we face into his latest artistic installation titled ‘crossroads’. composed of a symbolic crosswalk over moscow river in russia, the land art piece questions social, ethical, and environmental behavior. the artist intends to highlight the loss of nature, and more specifically, the issue of high-rise developments on protected reserves of the river.