A library of Earthen Architectures, 2024
A Library of Earthen Architectures is a series of temporary installations created by Otero-Pailos Studio that presents spatial arrangements of artifacts found at earthen sites, some which are part of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These important materials are often difficult to preserve through traditional architectural conversation methods, and Otero-Pailos uses art as an experimental preservation method to save them. The installations may also include artworks by other artists invited by Otero-Pailos Studio. Each manifestation of A Library of Earthen Architectures is therefore be different. This ongoing series of installations is accompanied by a series of audio files of recorded conversations between Jorge Otero-Pailos and the contributing artists about each of the artworks, which are archived by Otero-Pailos Studio.
The first iteration of A Library of Earthen Architectures was commissioned by Ute Meta Bauer and the curatorial team of the 2024 Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennial titled After Rain, held in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2024. For this installation, Otero-Pailos Studio invited the following artists invited to contribute artworks: Daniah Al Saleh, Filwa Nazer, Bricklab (Turki Gazzaz & Abdulrahman Gazzaz), SYN architects (Sara Alissa & Nojoud Alsudairi), Prince Nawaf bin Ayyaf, Ahmed Mater, Alaa Tarabzouni and Fahad Bin Ayyaf.
A Library of Earthen Architectures: At-Turaif (2024)
A Library of Earthen Architectures: At-Turaif by Jorge Otero-Pailos is composed of a rectangular glass vessel, capped with a glass lid, containing earthen dust fallen from the wall surfaces of heritage buildings in the At-Turaif World Heritage Site. The words A Library of Earthen Architectures were written by the artist on the front vertical glass panel, and the artist’s signature appears on the right side glass panel.
A Library of Earthen Architectures: At-Turaif was exhibited at the 2024 Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale, as part of Jorge Otero-Pailos’s collaborative installation eponymously titled A Library of Earthen Architectures.
“I am drawn to the dusty surface materiality of the earthen walls of At-Turaif. Over centuries, the surfaces of these walls have been slowly eroding, turning into dust. Although loose from the walls, the dust is still part of the material history and significance of this place. Ancient Nasjdi builders constructed At-Turaif out of the earthen dust found on site, mixing it with the precious water from Wadi Hanifa to make bricks for walls. The outer surfaces of these earthen walls were designed to erode naturally with the yearly rains, and to be replenished seasonally with a new protective layer of wet earth, which is why they are called “sacrificial layers.” These sacrificial layers are where human hands, earthen architecture and environmental dust physically meet in cyclical acts of care, which continue to this day.
I preserved earthen dust fallen from the walls of At-Turaif in a glass vessel shaped like a brick. It is a work in dialogue with the generations of caregivers that have preserved At-Turaif, from the original Nasjdi builders to the contemporary conservators.
To save the original dust is to spark the imagination that it could one day become At-Turaif walls again, in a cycle of regeneration. It is also a recognition that the care that preservationists lavish on At-Turaif does not stop at the walls: dust connects and extends it to the whole of the environment.
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Pluie de Saudi: At-Turaif (2024)
Pluie de Saudi: At-Turaif by Jorge Otero-Pailos is composed of a cylindrical glass vessel, capped with a glass lid, containing silver iodide dust, sometimes found in clouds above the At-Turaif World Heritage Site. The words Pluie de Saudi were written by the artist on the front of the jar, and artist’s signature and year appear on the back of the jar.
Pluie de Saudi: At-Turaif was exhibited at the 2024 Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale, as part of Jorge Otero-Pailos’s collaborative installation eponymously titled A Library of Earthen Architectures.
“At-Turaif was built where there was water, the source of life, and also a necessary element to make earthen architecture. At-Turaif sits next to the famous Wadi Hanifa, and its historic water wells stand as a testament to the significance of water to Nasjdi culture and prosperity. Whereas historically Saudis dug down to find water, today they reach up to the clouds above, introducing silver iodide dust into clouds so that water vapor will condensate around each microscopic dust particle and precipitate as rain. I preserved 50grams of silver iodide dust in a glass vessel. It is a work in dialogue with the generations of caregivers, from the original Nasjdi builders to the contemporary weather engineers who labor every day to care for the water in At-Turaif, and who lavish care on every watery element of this World Heritage Site.
To save this silver iodide dust is to spark the imagination that it could one day become At-Turaif rain, in a cycle of regeneration that is only fully possible with water, an essential material for building earthen architecture. It is also a recognition that the care that preservationists lavish on At-Turaif does not stop at the earthen walls and artificial rain from clouds: dust connects and extends it to the whole of the environment.”