Rocks and Sand is part of the ongoing research agenda titled Other Environmentalisms. This research aims to activate SWANA-specific historical environmental practices to drive innovative contemporary building solutions by exploring context-driven modes of production, alternative material systems, and the relationship between the built and natural environments.

This project was produced in collaboration with artisans at Irthi Contemporary Craft Council in Dibba, Sharjah, and continues Architecture + Other Things’ investigation into the role of environmental imaginaries in the design and production of everyday objects. Given its primary role in the UAE’s environmental imaginary, sand is this collection’s main protagonist.

This collection, comprising of chairs and a table, uses sand in diverse ways. First, sand is mixed with clay and soil, all natural and environmentally friendly materials, to create a rock like material. Second, this material is cast into formwork that are constructed out of deliberately shaped sandboxes.