j. mayer h. architects: satellight

‘satellight’ by j. mayer h. architects, marrakech, morocco satellite dish placed upon the el badi palace all images courtesy of j. mayer h. architects

satellight – higher atlas marrakech biennale 2012, marrakech, morocco on now until march 4th, 2012

berlin-based j. mayer h. architects have completed ‘satellight’, an installation which blankets the old district of marrakech at this year’s marrakech biennale in morocco. reminiscent of satellite dishes, disks formed with perforated metal are placed upon and within landmark buildings including the royal theater and el badi palace. each unit is temporarily held in position with metal structural supports embedded in concrete. the handcrafted steel forms reflect the sun creating fragmented streams of light inside historical interiors and from their dispersed locations within the city.

the surface motif is derived from a found arabic numbers data protection pattern, the random yet predictable cuts create a metaphorical window into the digital world and social media. the series of oversized and displaced pieces fuse arabic numbers, data protection patterns as found inside envelopes, islamic geometries with the world of communication and interaction. curated by carson chan and nadim samman, the project joins contributions from a collection of artists in the higher atlas exhibition, highlighting connections and initiating dialogues with individuals and their immediate environment through site specific art, architectural, musical and textual interventions.

dish placed upon the roof of the theatre royal