The Quarry

  • Type: Installation

  • Size: 280 m2

  • Location: Ibri, Oman

  • Year: 2020

Conceptualised as a visitor centre at a marble quarry in Oman, the project uses basic stone blocks that are extracted during normal production in order to construct a viewing deck for visitors, with minimal, if any, processing outside the quarry.

On arrival, the visitors see sculptural blocks of Omani limestone, seemingly placed at random but reminiscent of a monumental house growing out of a mountain. The entrance is framed with the full-size blocks, as if dropped there by a giant.

We place the blocks and stack them on top of each other to achieve desired shading, shelter, boundaries and openings.

The quarried blocks of marble measure approximately 1.70x1.95x2.8m. However, the sizes and the uniformity of dimensions may vary widely depending on the marble type and the quarry.

All material used has its provenance in the quarry. Natural surfaces of the stone blocks are combined with slabs in different finishes (hammered, honed, polished, antique, chiselled or sawn) in order to demonstrate to the visitors the range of possibilities in using the stone.

Positioning of the marble will be optimized, to ensure minimal use of labour and material as well as minimal disruption to the quarry.

    Rendering:

    Andri Asmara

    Photography:

    Al Milad Marble