The Stars of Doha, Qatar

MONUMENTAL SCULPTURE

Throughout history, since the dawn of humanity people have been guided by the stars. Sailing the seas or crossing the desert, we have always found our way by looking to the sky. The stars have been named by all different cultures, but many names used today come from Moorish astronomers, who gave them Arabic names. Ancient Babylonians grouped stars into constellations and the sky became a canvas where astronomers traced lines, painting the night with their myths and legends.

This sculpture, THE STARS, represents the human desire to reachup to the sky and use it as a canvas on which to paint our dreams. It is experienced in very different ways, depending on whether it is observed by day or by night. By day, the sculpture evokes the structure of the sky, the scaffolding which supports the infinite space of the universe. The corten steel structure runs throughout the space creating voids and relations between them. By night, points and lines of light appear, representing the stars and the constellations they form. The sculpture, like the stars and constellations, serves as a guide to the traveller towards the city of Doha.