Beneath the Similar Solar Set up / Stephanie Deumer

Beneath the Similar Solar Set up / Stephanie Deumer

Textual content description supplied by the architects. Created for Desert X AlUla 2022 in Saudi Arabia, Beneath the Similar Solar examines the tangled internet between the solar, its materials actuality, and the vitality, photos, and varieties that it produces. This multimedia set up developed by Canadian artist Stephanie Deumer encompasses a greenhouse of native crops submerged in an underground cavernous house.

As a part of the artist’s continued exploration of simulacra and immersive environments, this work brings to life the spectacle of organic replica by way of technological and visible means. Projected live-feed footage of the aboveground panorama bathes the greenhouse with mild, permitting the crops to photosynthesize and develop. 

The video projection and set up as a complete is powered by photo voltaic panels, which additionally function the roof to the sunken room. Taking the form of a giant puddle of water, the photo voltaic cells sit flush with the desert floor, mirage-like in look, and hinting on the sanctuary beneath. 

The uncovered gabion partitions are full of native stone, and along with the adobe bench and metal beams, the general design retains a barebones high quality that’s devoted to its building and performance. The facility unit can be seen within the house, foregrounding the beating coronary heart of the photo voltaic vitality system.

Whereas present as a refuge for fragile flowers, the construction additionally supplies a cool respite for guests strolling by way of the desert panorama to view the exhibition.