The project is an artistic interpretation of the Solar System and marks the position of the planets on December 2nd 1971, the day the United Arab Emirates was founded.
The environmental installation is a metaphor for the Seven Emirates, represented by a Sun and six planets.
The project meant to create a new iconic sun for the City of Abu Dhabi: the real sun radiating energy to the new photovoltaic Sun, generating light and electricity for the city.
The spheres are different, varying in structure, dimension, colour, transparency and photovoltaic technology.
The photovoltaic sun works as an element of attraction and symbolises the unity and infinity of the cosmos.
The endless geometrical pattern of the golden surface of the sun, with its timeless perfection and purity, represents the starry sky and creates a spherical motif of both light and shade. The sun is to be completed using a LED-lit skin throughout the night.
The earth is the only place in the universe where life is known to exist. Life on earth is therefore symbolised by an existing tree, a photovoltaic greenhouse with the serigraphy of the continents constructed around it. The Moon, its satellite, is endowed on the surface with a crescent-shaped opening.
The founding concepts for the other planets are suggested by astronomic phenomena such as: the presence of atmosphere on the planet with concentric double-spheres, the impact craters on the surface of the sphere composed of circles, the ring system for the split globe, a gas giant’s cloud bands for the photovoltaic solar shading sphere, and the eclipse of the black planet.
The planets, like pavilions, can host entertaining and educational programming such as temporary exhibitions or public activities to create a new place of collective identification. Each sculpture has limited contact with the ground, thus preserving the nature of the site while still integrating with the local ecosystem.