glass blown stereotomy shapes tomoko sauvage and AAU anastas’ sound installation

Tomoko Sauvage and aau anastas present serpentine bell

Merging immersive structural and sonic systems, Serpentine Bell by Tomoko Sauvage and AAU Anastas explores practices rooted in local tradition and global experimentation. The installation extends the Palestinian architects’ ongoing research into the potentiality and metaforicity of structural stone and its associated significance in the context of Palestinian geology. Here, glass — a material typically associated with fragility and transparency — takes on the weight-bearing role held by stone in delicate expressions.

The conical structure invites visitors to slide underneath to gaze up at its bubbling forms that refract rays of light and moments from their surroundings. Sound artist Tomoko Sauvage further elevates the work’s sensory dimensions by infusing an audial layer to the glass blown stereotomy. Water seethes within the glass bowls, creating oscillating sounds that evoke the organic morphologies found in nature, aligning with the inherent fluidity of the glass.

the installation intertwines stone, glass, water, and sound

Elevated 1.35 meters above the ground on steel stilts, Serpentine Bell’s volume is woven from 103 individually crafted glass modules known as voussoirs. AAU Anastas has translated into this new materiality the principles of stereotomy — a traditional technique associated with stone construction. Each interface between the voussoirs is a doubly curved ruled surface which ensures the bell’s structural integrity, supporting the next element while adding lateral strength.

Drawing on Palestine’s heritage of glass craftsmanship and stoneworks, the sculptural installation speaks to the need for material exploration and the global interchange of knowledge across various disciplines. Architects Elias and Yousef Anastas, founders of AAU Anastas, offer new perspectives on their ongoing Stonematters research. Working with Paris-based Japanese artist and musician Tomoko Sauvage, their intersection of sound, art, and architecture uncovers how provincial ways of doing can together create something that speaks a universal language of creative expression. 

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project info:

name: Serpentine Bell

sound artist: Tomoko Sauvage | @tomokosauvage

artists and architects: Elias Anastas, Yousef Anastas | @aauanastas

commissioned by: Ruinart, Reims

production: Arcam Glass (glass), FABRICA (steel), SNBR (stone)

photography: Makoto Chill Ôkubo