Shadows travelling on the sea of the day

Shadows Traveling on the Sea of Day is a monumental public artwork by Olafur Eliasson, situated in the desert landscape of Qatar. The installation consists of a series of circular shelters with mirrored undersides, arranged in a five-pointed star formation. Their reflective surfaces create a striking visual relationship between the structures, the surrounding landscape, and the people moving through the installation.

The arrangement draws inspiration from the mathematical patterns found in quasicrystals and Islamic art. Although the shelters appear to be positioned irregularly, their placement follows an underlying symmetry. As visitors walk beneath the mirrored canopies, reflections of the desert, sky, and neighboring structures merge, creating unexpected perspectives and a sense of connection between the artwork and its surroundings.

CIG contributed to the realization of this ambitious installation through engineering, material selection, detailed production drawings, fabrication, and pre-assembly of the structures. Translating the artist's design into buildable components required careful consideration of the circular forms, reflective surfaces, and the technical requirements of an outdoor installation in the desert environment.

Following fabrication and pre-assembly, CIG coordinated the transportation of the components to Qatar and provided on-site installation support. Through close collaboration between engineering and production, the individual elements were developed and manufactured to achieve the intended appearance and structural performance.

Combining large-scale metal fabrication with precise engineering, CIG helped bring Eliasson's vision into the Qatari desert, where architecture, art, and the natural environment come together in an immersive experience of light and reflection.

Olafur Eliasson ( سفر الظلال في بحر النهارShadows travelling on the sea of the day), 2022

Steel, fibreglass, glass mirrors

4.53 x 10.51 x 10.51 metre | ø 8.2 metre | ø 8.2 metre

Installation view: Northern Heritage sites, Doha, Qatar, 2022

Photo: Iwan Baan

Courtesy of the artist; neugerriemschneider, Berlin; Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York / Los Angeles

© 2022 Olafur Eliasson