Some 410,000 steel barrels will be used.
The UAE is no stranger to mega engineering feats and the Liwa desert in Abu Dhabi could be the scene of the next major masterclass of construction.
Expected to stand at some 492 feet, just under 1,000 feet long and 738 metres wide, The Mastaba, will be considered the largest contemporary sculpture (in volume) in the world once planning permission is obtained and construction is complete.
Encompassing some 410,000 multi-coloured steel barrels that will form a colourful mosaic, echoing Islamic architecture, the project idea was conceived in 1977 and is the legendary pairing, Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s only permanent, large-scale public artwork as well as their final project.
The entire substructure as well as the layer of barrels will be assembled flat on the ground with 10 elevation towers raising the entire structure on rails to its final position in about two weeks.
Based in the heart of the Liwa desert and entirely self-financed, the project is hoped to be completed in three years from day of breaking the ground.
The Mastaba plan will be carried out by Christo’s nephew, Vladimir Yavachev who has worked with the artists for more than three decades and most recently directed L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped.
And 2022 is shaping up to be an exciting year for arts and culture fans with the return of Zemanna and Portrait of a Nation at Manarat Al Saadiyat as well as the debut of Versailles and The World at Louvre Abu Dhabi earlier this month.
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