Sfumato, 2024

Natural slow-burning incense with frankincense and myrrh, sustainable duct system for smoke circulation, temporary structure made of sand, and incense room with metal door and roof.

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Desert X AlUla 2024

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Sfumato is an olfactory land art piece inspired by the ancient Incense Route, designed to recreate the olfactory journey along the historic trade route that once connected the East and the West. The installation was conceived as a unique sensory experience, where the desert of AlUla was perfumed with long-burning incense made from natural ingredients such as frankincense and myrrh.

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The creation process involved months of research to ensure that all materials and components used would not harm the environment. The incense was developed to burn slowly and sustainably, without harmful or polluting substances, respecting the fragility of the local ecosystem. The result was the creation of over 11,000 hand-rolled incense cones, which, throughout the season, perfumed the desert without leaving any permanent traces.

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The artwork was constructed within a temporary sand structure, featuring a sustainable duct system that carried the scented smoke through the wind, creating a poetic and ephemeral presence in the vast desert. The design was intended to generate a slight negative pressure inside the installation, ensuring that the smoke was amplified and visible as it moved with the wind, evoking invisible memories and resonating with the region’s ancestral past.

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The installation was activated multiple times a day, creating aromatic trails that shifted with the direction and strength of the wind, offering visitors a sensory journey through time and history. Sfumato celebrates the cultural exchange of the ancient Incense Route and collective memory, inviting the audience to connect with the past through scent, without leaving traces in the present.