Salih Albarrak is a designer based in Riyadh, he has a profound interest in the overlap between storytelling, alchemy, and design. This journey has allowed him to construct a fabric of works and techniques, effectively capturing the essence of speculative social and political structures that reside on the fringes of reality.
Salih Albarrak is an architect/artist based in Riyadh, he has a profound interest in the overlap between storytelling, alchemy, and design. This journey has allowed him to construct a fabric of works and techniques, effectively capturing the essence of speculative social and political structures that reside on the fringes of reality. Sacred Tents: An Exploration of Primitive Shelters (2020)
procedurally generated geometries
In Sacred Tents, the boundaries of terrestrial design and celestial imagination blur, inviting viewers to embark on a transformative journey from the primordial to the cosmic. Using rudimentary geometries as a foundational canvas, each iteration of the tent undergoes meticulous dissection and reassembly, challenging the conventional perceptions of shelter. The artworks unravel the essence of primitive enclosures, deconstructing them with every subsequent form, only to elevate them to sophisticated marvels of human creativity.
As each tent evolves, there emerges a delicate balance between its inherent simplicity and the grandeur of its newfound purpose. The reconfigured fragments transcend their original identities, fusing together into structures that subtly hint at interstellar voyages. From angular, geometric bases that remind us of the earliest human habitations, they morph into sleek, aerodynamic forms, evoking the allure of spacecrafts.
Yet, while the art pushes boundaries in envisioning shelters of the future, it remains deeply rooted in the sacredness of the past. There's a reverence for the primal instinct of humans to seek shelter, to create a haven against the elements. The name 'Sacred Tents' pays homage to this instinct, suggesting that even in our most ambitious galactic aspirations, we'll carry forward the age-old sanctity of a simple, protective covering.
Sacred Tents: An Exploration of Primitive Shelters offers a contemplative dialogue between the terrestrial and the extraterrestrial, between the primeval urge for refuge and the boundless reaches of human imagination.
