Unveiling of "Sabil" fountains around "Expo 2020 Dubai" .. Photos
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Expo 2020 Dubai has announced the completion of the installation of the “Sabil” drinking water fountains, 40 aesthetically attractive water fountains designed to narrate and at the same time fascinate visitors to the world’s largest cultural gathering, throughout the public spaces of the international event site.
From a fountain designed to resemble a beautiful mailbox, decorated with a message engraved by the fountain’s creator, to another that includes a miniature “natural world”, the innovative Sabil Fountains represent contemporary artistic interpretations of the traditional Emirati drinking fountain, known as the Sabil, and also embodies the country’s heritage and spirit of hospitality, tolerance and generosity. .
The initiative is a collaboration between Expo 2020 Dubai and Art Jameel, which began in September 2019, with an open call for proposals for Sabeel 2020 The creative one in the UAE is “Architecture + Other Things” and the other is for the design team consisting of Faisal Al-Malik and Alia bin Omair.
The two designs, called “Spring in the Garden” and “Nahil” respectively, and collectively known as Distinctive Fountains, were implemented for a total of 37 drinking water fountains across the Expo 2020 public spaces. The “Spring in the Garden” design combines durable materials and diverse plants to highlight Highlighting the goal of Expo 2020 Dubai to represent the most sustainable version in the history of the World Expo, while “Nahil” includes motifs depicting the connection of humans, nature and technology in harmony, embodying the sub-themes of Expo, which are opportunities, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai invited contemporary artists, Nasser Nasrallah and Dana Awartani, to create larger, iconic drinking fountains, known as artistic fountains. While Nasrallah’s design called “A Message to Water” can be seen as a love letter to water, the design of the “well” for Awartani looks like a stone well.
Marjan Faraidooni, CEO of Expo 2020 Dubai Visitor Experience, said: “Through these beautiful and innovative drinking fountains, we invite visitors to take a moment to quench their thirst and reflect on their relationship with this precious resource. Sabil fountains also provide an unmissable opportunity for our visitors to discover design talent from the UAE and the region.”
Sabil Fountains prompts millions of visitors to explore the centuries-old tradition of Emiratis sharing their water with the needy through public drinking fountains. These fountains will leave a lasting impact on the legacy of the next World Expo, which will remain after Expo closes its doors within District 2020, the future human-centered city.
Antonia Carver, Director of Art Jameel, said: “We are excited to see our collaboration with Expo 2020 Dubai bear fruit. In addition to our exhibitions and educational programs at the Jameel Arts Center in Dubai (and soon in the Jameel District of Jeddah), Art Jameel is committed to supporting artists and creative communities through collaborative projects. Water - and the future of water and food - is an integral part of the threads of organizing our exhibitions, which are formed by a package of long-term and multi-year themes, which are reflected in the technical commissions, as well as many other initiatives.”
Speel fountains are working with improved health and safety measures, including the introduction of taps with hands-free sensors in all designs, rather than push-buttons, and the use of filler taps instead of their sparkling counterparts.