Olafur Eliasson: Shadows travelling on the sea of the day

This site-specific installation by Berlin-based artist Olafur Eliasson consists of twenty circular shelters, positioned according to the axes of a fivefold symmetrical pattern. The underside of the circular roofs is covered with mirror panels, reflecting the curved segment of pipe that supports the roof. This creates a visual illusion of the pipes doubling into full rings, linking the real landscape with the reflected space. Visitors standing in the shade of the roofs may experience a moment of disorientation, glimpsing themselves and their surroundings reflected upside down in the roofs above. Al Zubarah is Qatar's largest heritage site, with an impressive city wall, ancient residential palaces and houses, markets, industrial areas and mosques. This site-specific installation, located in the desert just north of Al Zubarah, explores how our perception of the world informs our relationship with reality.