A Kingdom Where No One Dies: Contours of Resonance

As part of Desert X AlUla 2026, A Kingdom Where No One Dies translates voice into matter, with time acting as a quiet co-author. The soundwaves of Sara Abdu’s spoken poem are transformed into ten sculptural verses, ten objects shaped as frozen vibrations, constructed from rammed earth using soil sourced directly from the site. These forms resist permanence; they are fragile by intention, allowing wind, gravity, and erosion to continue shaping what the voice began.

A thin, organic layer of Yemeni sand is delicately incorporated into the layers, merging with the local Saudi sand to create a material dialogue between places, two geographies blended into one. Each object balances precision with decay, holding the tension between preservation and disappearance.

 The installation exists as a living desert landscape rather than a fixed artifact. Light redraws the verses throughout the day, grains shift underfoot, and the objects slowly evolve. Realized through close collaboration with Sigma as contractor, whose teams were trained on site to work with this delicate construction method, the project was delivered to meet the poetic vision and exacting expectations of Sara Abdu. Ten objects. Ten verses. A work where voice, earth, and time remain inseparable.

Photography by: Lance Gerber