Artist Note
Weird Life: An ode to desert varnish
Desert X AlUla 2024
February 9 - March 23
Artist Note
In the expansive canvas of the desert, intricate streams paint stories on boulders, forming a resilient tapestry of patterns that are often dismissed as mere lichen or erosion. These subtle striations, known as 'desert varnish,' grace landscapes like AlUla, evolving into a luminous veneer with hues from yellow and orange to profound red and black. Scientists, grappling with this mystery for two centuries, explore the notion of the "shadow biosphere," suggesting unconventional life forms. Amid evolving debates, the concept of 'weird' life emerges, signaling the need for undiscovered tools to unveil these mysteries—tools yet to be realized.
Weird Life: An ode to desert varnish is a site-specific sculpture that derives its essence from the distinct outlines that characterize various rock formations across the landscape, such as Jabal El Fil, Gharameel, and the Dancing Rock. It encapsulates an ancient fleeting instance unseen by human observation—a cascade of desert varnish descending upon a mountain or rock, forever set in limbo. The rock is excised to amplify the phenomenon, resulting in an internal void as a space for contemplation. Guided by material research and development, the sculpture aspires to replicate the augmented physical attributes of the varnish, as discerned from found scientifically derived imagery.
AlYaqoub connects the correlations between lunar, Martian, and Earth's rock coatings, urging contemplation of terrestrial mysteries instead of the human inclination to colonize extraterrestrial landscapes. This imperative explores the intricacies of our immediate surroundings, deepening comprehension of enigmas within our known world, ultimately contributing to a nuanced understanding of cosmic realms beyond.
Credit:
Commissioned by:
The Royal Commissions for AlUla
Curators:
Maya El Khalil and Marcello Dantas
Creative Direction:
Raneem Farsi and Neville Wakefield
Collaborators:
Constantine KSA, Penta Patterns, Printing Portal, Pangolin, Alpha Plus
Images courtesty of the artist, Lance Gerber and Aaqib Sheikh
ⓒ Aseel AlYaqoub, 2022
Desert X AlUla 2024
February 9 - March 23
Artist Note
In the expansive canvas of the desert, intricate streams paint stories on boulders, forming a resilient tapestry of patterns that are often dismissed as mere lichen or erosion. These subtle striations, known as 'desert varnish,' grace landscapes like AlUla, evolving into a luminous veneer with hues from yellow and orange to profound red and black. Scientists, grappling with this mystery for two centuries, explore the notion of the "shadow biosphere," suggesting unconventional life forms. Amid evolving debates, the concept of 'weird' life emerges, signaling the need for undiscovered tools to unveil these mysteries—tools yet to be realized.
Weird Life: An ode to desert varnish is a site-specific sculpture that derives its essence from the distinct outlines that characterize various rock formations across the landscape, such as Jabal El Fil, Gharameel, and the Dancing Rock. It encapsulates an ancient fleeting instance unseen by human observation—a cascade of desert varnish descending upon a mountain or rock, forever set in limbo. The rock is excised to amplify the phenomenon, resulting in an internal void as a space for contemplation. Guided by material research and development, the sculpture aspires to replicate the augmented physical attributes of the varnish, as discerned from found scientifically derived imagery.
AlYaqoub connects the correlations between lunar, Martian, and Earth's rock coatings, urging contemplation of terrestrial mysteries instead of the human inclination to colonize extraterrestrial landscapes. This imperative explores the intricacies of our immediate surroundings, deepening comprehension of enigmas within our known world, ultimately contributing to a nuanced understanding of cosmic realms beyond.
Credit:
Commissioned by:
The Royal Commissions for AlUla
Curators:
Maya El Khalil and Marcello Dantas
Creative Direction:
Raneem Farsi and Neville Wakefield
Collaborators:
Constantine KSA, Penta Patterns, Printing Portal, Pangolin, Alpha Plus
Images courtesty of the artist, Lance Gerber and Aaqib Sheikh
ⓒ Aseel AlYaqoub, 2022