Falwah Alhouti, Ibrahim Abdellatif, and Omer Al Raee are the winners of the seventh edition of The Christo and Jeanne-Claude Award 2019. Their winning submission, Sila – an Arabic term that translates to “link” or “connection” – was unveiled at NYU Abu Dhabi on November 12th, and will tour other locations.

Sila takes its inspiration from the characteristic of “unity” in the UAE’s folkloric dance, Al-Ayyalah, a combination of poetry, drum music, and simple movements. Separated into two rows facing one another just like the dance itself, the installation is made up of units with varying heights to highlight the diversity of movement. The dynamic quality of the installation is embodied through how these units are interacting with each other and as a group, illustrating their unity. To accentuate the dramatic effect, black and white were selected due to the stillness and motion they create when laid over each other.