Art Market Monitor

Global Coverage ~ Unique Analysis

  • AMMpro
  • AMM Fantasy Collecting Game
  • Podcast
  • Contact Us

Thousand Points of Light

November 20, 2009 by Marion Maneker

As groups gather for some of the first events on Saadiyat Island, Jean Nouvel was testing the theories behind his massive open-air dome that will block the light and heat of the Emirates sun, The National reports:

Jean Novel & Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al NahyanInside a large warehouse on Saadiyat Island yesterday, Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan looked up in wonder. Sunbeams cut through the darkened space, hitting a section of wall in a bright, dappled pattern.

“This is like poetry,” said Sheikh Sultan, the chairman of the Tourism Development & Investment Company. “You can see the rays very clearly. This shows it works. It can be done.” He was pointing to a mock-up of the domed roof that will cover the Louvre Abu Dhabi, one of four museums planned for the centre of Saadiyat Island’s cultural district. Engineers had created a small section of what will eventually be a 180-metre-wide dome and placed it over the flat top of the pyramid-shaped warehouse. Jean Nouvel, the architect of the project, called the resulting display of sunlight coming through the lattice-covered dome a “rain of light”.

The holes in the dome appear random at first, but they are actually created by 10 layers of different patterns. “It’s a geometry,” Mr Nouvel said. “It’s a special system that creates patterns with rotation. As the sun moves, the light changes.” The dome will be an open-air structure covering individual galleries below.

Rain of Light for Louvre Abu Dhabi (The National)

More from Art Market Monitor

  • Abu Dhabi Sales ReportAbu Dhabi Sales Report
  • Abu Dhabi Sheikha Buys Scully, Koons & Giacometti Abu Dhabi Sheikha Buys Scully, Koons & Giacometti
  • Selling in Abu DhabiSelling in Abu Dhabi
  • Revolving Dealers in Abu DhabiRevolving Dealers in Abu Dhabi
  • Abu Dhabi SalesAbu Dhabi Sales
  • Understanding the Abu Dhabi Art FairUnderstanding the Abu Dhabi Art Fair

Filed Under: Museums Tagged With: Abu Dhabi

About Marion Maneker

LiveArt

Want to get Art Market Monitor‘s posts sent to you in our email? Sign up below by clicking on the Subscribe button.

  • About Us/ Contact
  • Podcast
  • AMMpro
  • Newsletter
  • FAQ

twitterfacebooksoundcloud
Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
California Privacy Rights
Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Advertise on Art Market Monitor
 

Loading Comments...