The Desert Relics / Karim+Elias

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Renowned for its archaeological significance within the Arab region, Mleiha fosters a broad collection of the region's artefactual heritage.'The Desert Relics'draw inspiration from a selection of Mleiha's ancient relics, visually expressing the "unearthing of an artifact" through a variety of vessel-like geometries.Text description provided by the architects.Our latest piece celebrates the craft of Mleiha's artifacts through a grand land art installation, made of and from desert sand.The permanent installation was unveiled at the 2024 Tanweer Festival, and designed as a contribution to Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi's inspiring vision to timelessly celebrate Mleiha's cultural heritage and rich desertscapes.Twelve modular totems rise to monumental heights against the mountain backdrop — in the symbolic form of stacked vessel vases, a grand bejeweled necklace, or a set of ancient stones.Each piece is unique in color and form, and like all ancient crafts, is fully handmade of and from the earth.