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Qatar installation – Site-specific ceramic sculpture

Aylieff’s research aim for this commissioned project was to create innovative ceramic work that referenced the historic trade in cobalt (used as a blue pigment in ceramic decoration) between the Middle East, South East Asia and Europe, as well as the evolution of regionally specific decorative ceramic motifs that used this material. A series of three monumental ceramic sculptures were subsequently designed and produced by Aylieff for the atrium of the Tornado Tower (QIPCO Tower) in Doha, Qatar. The works, installed in 2013, are a permanent exhibit and focal point in the building’s central public space.

Each sculpture was intended to have a distinct identity but also to be seen as part of a coherent group that would retain an aura of monumentality within the vast architectural space of the atrium of Tornado Tower. The project required Aylieff to investigate the decorative language of Islamic pattern, which she did through research using the collections of the Islamic Museum, Qatar and the British Museum, London. Aylieff also conducted exhaustive testing to create a contemporary equivalent of the Islamic cobalt blue colouring.

The tallest piece was 4.5 metres in height, necessitating extensive technical testing and prototyping to identify the most feasible processes for constructing and firing the pieces and assembling the internal supporting structures necessary for safe installation in a public space. Undertaking the commission also required Aylieff to develop appropriate means of communicating her response to the brief; this included developing new digital and analogue means of presenting her initial ideas and work in progress to the commissioning team.

The work was realised through an international partnership that mirrored the expectations of the commissioning team. The ceramic sculptures were designed in the UK, manufactured in China and installed in Qatar.