OR-BIT 1 + Spectrum 1

Spectrum I

Before oil, and for a period of 2000 years according to some accounts, the entire economy of the whole coastal region in the Arabian Gulf was completely based on pearls. Pearl diving, pearl trading, pearl boat music: entire cultures were founded around this decorative object. Indeed, my own grandfather was a singer on a pearling boat. After the discovery of oil in the first half of the 20th century, a massive transformation of these societies took place. Old neighborhoods were razed to make way for new development, unprecedented amounts of wealth materialized, and a large part of history was effectively erased. This total detachment of epochs in such a short period of time is an idiosyncratic feature of this region, as well as being a tragic one. In my work, I attempt to bridge this gap by creating a tangible relationship between the two worlds using a single method: formal abstraction. I have discovered that the iridescent color scheme of pearls is the lighter version of the same color scheme of oil. They both refract light to show multiple colors simultaneously—greens, blues, pinks, and purples—so in this sense they are both dichroic surfaces. Spectrum I is a series of sculptures based on the heads of oil drills. Here, the substance of oil is an alien intruder that dramatically altered the historical narrative of an entire region, forever altering our bodies and landscapes.

OR-BIT I

OR-BIT is a levitating iridescent model of an oil drill that quietly rotates, as if to drill the sky above it. Resembling an architectural model akin to the tower of babel, the work embodies the infinite human desire to strive upwards while accumulating more wealth and power. The riches generated by oil exploration fuelled these toxic aspirations of man to hover above others, in a seemingly unending spiral motion.