Urban Fabric
Award-Winning Sculpture in Abu Dhabi
November 2022In collaboration with Roudhah al Mazrouei and Jennifer Tsai
with mentor Goffredo Puccetti
Urban Fabric, the prestigious Christo and Jeanne-Claude Award 2022 Winner, is a public art installation in Abu Dhabi, UAE. This innovative project features a series of three sculptures that resemble pieces of thread, seamlessly intertwined with the urban landscape of the Emirates' capital. The sculptural forms are interlaced into the ground, transforming the physical environment of Abu Dhabi into a vast canvas, with the city itself becoming part of the artwork.
Commissioned by the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation, Urban Fabric stands as a testament to the emirate's commitment to contemporary art in public spaces and is on permanent display at Rabdan Marina. Urban Fabric was built over the span of eight months with a total budget of 10,000 USD.
All photos taken, renders, and diagrams of the project are own work.
A Decentralized Artwork
Urban Fabric is designed as a site specific environmental art piece in the spirit of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s work– a sculpture that interacts with its surroundings and is accessible to all.
Since the winning sculpture is exhibited around Abu Dhabi, Urban Fabric becomes a frame of reference between different locations. It is an archive of a time and place. At a larger scale, these sculptures are scattered throughout the city, made possible by the decentralized nature of its design. This both brings art to more people and embodies the overarching idea of interconnectedness.
Despite being in different locations, these sculptures are linked through the fabric that is the city.
Since the winning sculpture is exhibited around Abu Dhabi, Urban Fabric becomes a frame of reference between different locations. It is an archive of a time and place. At a larger scale, these sculptures are scattered throughout the city, made possible by the decentralized nature of its design. This both brings art to more people and embodies the overarching idea of interconnectedness.
Despite being in different locations, these sculptures are linked through the fabric that is the city.
Renders of Urban Fabric across various locations in Abu Dhabi.
The collage above shows that Urban Fabric’s context in different places connects the city across temporal and spatial bounds.Installation and Placement
Planning the placement of each sculpture, depending on the location, was an important aspect in the curation and logistical process.
At Manarat Al Saadiyat, the sculptures served as a gateway that welcomed people into the area.
At NYU Abu Dhabi, Urban Fabric’s placement intersected and interconnected with paths that foster community connections.
At Umm Al Emarat, the artwork followed the existing path of the park. This guided people to the nearby sites.
Location 4, Rabdan Marina, is the final home of Urban Fabric. The site overlooks the landmark Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, as well as Zaha Hadid’s Sheikh Zayed Bridge, permanently becoming a part of Abu Dhabi’s built environment.
At Manarat Al Saadiyat, the sculptures served as a gateway that welcomed people into the area.
At NYU Abu Dhabi, Urban Fabric’s placement intersected and interconnected with paths that foster community connections.
At Umm Al Emarat, the artwork followed the existing path of the park. This guided people to the nearby sites.
Location 4, Rabdan Marina, is the final home of Urban Fabric. The site overlooks the landmark Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, as well as Zaha Hadid’s Sheikh Zayed Bridge, permanently becoming a part of Abu Dhabi’s built environment.
Image Gallery
In the Media
︎︎︎ The National︎︎︎ Emirates News Agency
︎︎︎ Abu Dhabi Gov. Media Office
︎︎︎ Zawya
︎︎︎ NYU Abu Dhabi
︎︎︎ Emirati News
︎︎︎ MSN
About the Award
Under the Patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Shamsa bint Hamdan Al Nahyan, The Christo and Jeanne-Claude Award, presented by New York University Abu Dhabi and in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation (ADMAF), has been established to nurture artistic talent in the United Arab Emirates. It is an annual award produced in collaboration with The NYUAD Art Gallery.The Award is given for the proposal and creation of an artwork that, in the spirit of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s work, can be publicly exhibited and enjoyed.