Land Art Generator Initiative / Renewable Energy Landscapes
The project delights in the abundance of two natural resources on the desert coastal Abu Dhabi site: sunlight and saltwater. Chemical reactions prompted by the sun, water and salt act as energetic and material catalysts for the project. A series of salt-growing experiments revealed the tendency for saline water to absorb into and crystalise upon materials including wood and cotton string.
Heliotropic sun-tracking mirrors organised in radial arrays focus light on solar power towers, generating renewable energy. Shallow pools are placed where the radial geometries overlap. Small-scale desalination pavilions at these pools generate clean water and highly saline byproduct. Clean water fills the wading pools for recreational use on site, providing an evaporative cooling respite. Saline water fills salt ponds, where halophytic organisms thrive, creating shifting plume paintings in the landscape. Salt crystals collect and grow on sculptural towers in the saline ponds inviting tactile engagement.