Relic Installation Explores Light, Reflection, and Transformation
Relic installation for Noor Riyadh in Saudi Arabia builds on Karolina Halatek’s previous site-specific piece in Metz, redefining the concept of a monument. The pyramid-shaped structure emits a sky-tracing beam of white light through mist and mirrored surfaces, creating a serene gathering place. As visitors approach the sculptural composition, they are reflected, illuminated, and transformed. The public artwork invites each person to acknowledge their own presence and significance, momentarily becoming a living monument and an active participant in co-creating history. Combining modern aesthetics and technology with evocative form, Relic serves not as a historical tribute but as a participatory space for reflection and transformation.
a pyramid-shaped structure emits a vertical beam of white light | image courtesy of Noor Riyadh Festival
Karolina Halatek Reimagines Monument as interactive Experience
Karolina Halatek’s works are catalysts for experience. Using light as her central medium, she creates site-specific installations that integrate visual, architectural, and sculptural elements. She studied Design for Performance at UAL (UK), Fine Arts at UdK Berlin, and Media Art at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, Poland, and took part in Olafur Eliasson’s Institut für Raumexperimente. The Polish artist is a PhD candidate at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow and a visiting researcher at the Lighting Lab, Royal Danish Academy in Copenhagen. The installation was produced by TETRO+A agency and exhibited at the fifth edition of the Noor Riyadh festival titled ‘In the Blink of an Eye,’ Saudi Arabia, 2025.
mist and mirrored surfaces frame a sky-tracing column of illumination | image courtesy of Noor Riyadh Festival
the piece encourages collective engagement and shared experience | image courtesy of Karolina Halatek
the installation forms a quiet gathering point within the festival | image courtesy of Karolina Halatek
light and mist subtly transform each person entering the space | image courtesy of Karolina Halatek
the work invites visitors to recognize their own presence | image courtesy of Karolina Halatek
participants momentarily become part of a living monument | image courtesy of Karolina Halatek
Relic blends contemporary aesthetics with technological precision | image courtesy of Karolina Halatek
the work acts as a participatory space rather than a traditional monument | image courtesy of Karolina Halatek
project info:
name: Relic for Noor Riyadh
artist: Karolina Halatek | @karolinahalatek
location: Qasr Al Hokm Metro Station, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
materials: steel, stainless steel, acrylic
dimensions: 300 x 600 (base diameter)
event: Noor Riyadh Festival | @noorriyadhfestival
production: TETRO+A | @tetro_agency
special thanks to: Nouf Almoneef | @nouf.almoneef, Riyadh Art | @riyadhartofficial, Matthieu Debay | @mattdebay, Nicolas Roziecki | @hyvn, Matteo Messina | @mttmex, Adrien Jolivet | @adrisocialbot, Gabriel Ducolombier | @rielgabzz, Lavínia D. Freitas | @lavinfreitas, m5iw | @m5iw
designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.
edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom
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