IOTA Installation

IOTA Installation
Courtesy of Karim+Elias

IOTA INSTALLATION

Karim+Elias

ARCHITECTS
Karim+Elias

AREA
165 m2

LEAD ARCHITECTS
Karim Tamerji, Elias El Hage

LIGHTNING CONSULTATION
Shahe Manuelian

LIGHTNING SUPPLY
TABET Engineering & Lighting

YEAR
2022

LOCATION
Dubai, United Arab Emirates

TYPE
Temporary Installations

IOTA Installation
Courtesy of Karim+Elias
IOTA Installation
Courtesy of Karim+Elias
IOTA Installation
Courtesy of Karim+Elias

Utilizing one of the most abundantly found natural materials in the UAE — sand, IOTA is a grand open-air installation showcasing over 150 modular spheres of sand, designed to welcome guests into Dubai’s Downtown Design 2022 fair.

The project has been supported by House Of Today, a non-profit design platform that identifies, showcases, nurtures, and connects emerging Lebanese designers to create a relationship with design experts globally.

IOTA Installation
Courtesy of Karim+Elias
IOTA Installation
Courtesy of Karim+Elias

Sand has existed timelessly and, in many ways, paints a meaningful picture of the city's history, culture and identity.

Instinctively, the design duo saw this as an opportunity worth embracing while asking themselves — how can the most abundantly found local material be used as an ecological ode to Dubai?

IOTA Installation
Courtesy of Karim+Elias
IOTA Installation
Courtesy of Karim+Elias
IOTA Installation
Courtesy of Karim+Elias

The work preserves the age-old method of hand-pressing earth layer above layer, now cast in modern-made moulds.

The design duo has reimagined the method through form, showcasing a perceptibly heavy material as contemporary, soft and seemingly weightless.

Each tactile sphere is unique in texture and composition, naturally pigmented in an array of colors. A majority of blood orange and powder pink spheres are composed to define areas of circulation and rest — a playful layout allowing pedestrian porosity to and from the exhibition’s entry point.

IOTA Installation
Courtesy of Karim+Elias
IOTA Installation
Courtesy of Karim+Elias
IOTA Installation
Courtesy of Karim+Elias

The modular composition is likened to a painting, where each perspective throughout the installation is an exercise of art direction, meant to balance and harmonize the palette of colors.

Given its versatile layout, ever-changing moments experienced throughout the installation present multiple opportunities for picturesque moments.

Sparked by the story of IOTA, Karim+Elias was founded to creatively explore sand through art and design. The duo has come to recognize sand as a material with meaning, in its timeless and universal quality.

IOTA Installation
Courtesy of Karim+Elias
IOTA Installation
Courtesy of Karim+Elias
IOTA Installation
Courtesy of Karim+Elias

As a potential alternative to stone, marble or even concrete, it is the foundation of their work philosophy. Karim+Elias is beginning with pieces of Dubai, on a mission to craft earthen relics and spatial experiences from landscapes worldwide.


IOTA Installation
Courtesy of Karim+Elias
IOTA Installation
Courtesy of Karim+Elias
IOTA Installation
Courtesy of Karim+Elias


IOTA Installation
Floor Plan - Promenade
IOTA Installation
Elevation


IOTA Installation
Drawing
IOTA Installation
Drawing