Generally when people think of the Sahara Desert they think of nothing but sand dunes as far as the eye can see. It’s one of the harshest environments on Earth and only the most adaptable of creatures and plants can survive there. What most probably don’t think of in the Sahara Desert is art.
On a stretch of land in El Gouna, Egypt near the Red Sea, lies an immense land art installation dug into the desert sands that covers an area of about 1,000,000 square feet. Named “Desert Breath” the large mounds and perfectly shaped pools were constructed in 1997 by the D.A.ST. Arteam, a team including artist Danae Stratou, industrial designer Alexandra Stratou, and architect Stella Constantinides. Colossal reports that the art project is meant to represent an exploration of infinity against the backdrop of the unforgiving Sahara.
It’s an art project that few people will ever see in person, and just like everything else in the desert, the wind and sand is slowly deteriorating the Desert Breath.
Photos by D.A.ST. Arteam courtesy the artists