Funcity KLQ banner
Doha, Today Weather

Shadows Travelling on the Sea of the Day

Shadows Travelling on the Sea of the Day
Set deep in Qatar’s northern desert near Al Zubarah, “Shadows Travelling on the Sea of the Day” by Olafur Eliasson invites visitors into a mesmerizing landscape where art, science, and nature are seamlessly intertwined. This monumental installation transforms the open sands into a meditative site of reflection, shadow, and cosmic play.

A VAST MIRRORED LANDMARK WHERE ART, DESERT, AND COSMIC REFLECTIONS FUSE—STEP INSIDE, GAZE UP, AND EXPERIENCE YOURSELF AND QATAR’S NATURE IN A BRAND-NEW WAY.

Key Attractions and Activities

Mirrored Shelters

Desert Location

Reflection Art

Geometric Patterns

Fivefold Symmetry

Photo Spots

Sky Views

Shadow Play

Arriving at the artwork means venturing into the desert, where twenty circular mirrored shelters and several freestanding arches glimmer against the horizon. While the installation’s striking design can be seen from afar, its truest magic is experienced beneath the mirrored ceilings, where the sky and sand meet, and visitors glimpse themselves suspended upside down in reflection. Eliasson’s creative vision invites every guest to consider their connection to the land, to each other, and to the cycles of time—a uniquely immersive encounter that brings together the region’s history, geometry, and the changing desert light.

Site-Specific Installation

Eliasson’s work is rooted in its physical context: the empty, sweeping plains north of Doha, close to the UNESCO-listed Al Zubarah Fort. Shelters, rings, and mirrors are precisely arranged, their positions mapped using mathematical fivefold symmetry inspired by both Islamic geometries and crystalline forms found in nature.
Shadows Travelling on the Sea of the Day by Olafur Eliasson
Shadows Travelling on the Sea of the Day by Olafur Eliasson

Mirrored Circular Shelters

Twenty steel-and-fiberglass structures with mirrored undersides reflect both the sandy ground and visitors standing below, turning half-circles into full rings that seem to dissolve the boundary between real and reflected worlds. These discs offer shade and a place to slow down, as well as a playful opportunity to exist in both earth and sky.
Shadows Travelling on the Sea of the Day by Olafur Eliasson
Shadows Travelling on the Sea of the Day by Olafur Eliasson
Shadows Travelling on the Sea of the Day by Olafur Eliasson

Interplay of Reflection & Geometry

Standing beneath each shelter provokes a shift in perception: looking up, visitors see themselves and the landscape inverted, suspended as if on the “other side.” The mirrored ceilings double the semicircular pipes into full circles, reinforcing a sense of wholeness and interconnectedness that’s both physical and philosophical.
Shadows Travelling on the Sea of the Day by Olafur Eliasson
Shadows Travelling on the Sea of the Day by Olafur Eliasson

Add New Playlist