Lebanese designer Najla El Zein has created the Us, Her, Him elongated, limestone benches at Flag Plaza in Doha, Qatar.
The sculptural benches, which were designed to reflect the complexity and importance of human connections, were made from 313 meters of hand-sculpted limestone.
“The vision behind Us, Her, Him was to capture the nuanced experience of being in a public space, where people meet, cross paths, and form connections,” El Zein told Dezeen.
With the plaza is located between the IM Pei-designed Museum of Islamic Art and the Jean Nouvel-designed National Museum of Qatar in Doha’s cultural district, El Zein wanted the installation to be both artistic and practical.
“The installation was conceived not only as a stand-alone artistic expression but also as an integral part of the landscape, drawing visitors into the cultural district,” said El Zein.
“It is not just an aesthetic piece; it also creates inviting spaces for people to sit, gather, and interact.”
In total, El Zein created 13 benches in and around Flag Plaza, which was completed in 2022 and contains 119 flags from the countries with nations with diplomatic missions in Qatar.
Each of the benches has a unique sculptural form made of limestone cut into elongated tubes that curve and were placed on top of each other.
The benches were made from Lebanese limestone, with the aim of keeping sourcing and production in the region.
“The decision to use Lebanese limestone was inspired by the material’s enduring nature, which becomes more beautiful as it ages, ensuring meaningful longevity,” explained El Zein.
“Given the large scale of the installation, sourcing locally was a natural choice, allowing us full control over the material and the freedom to approach and interpret it in our way.”
El Zein conceived the project in Lebanon, during a challenging period for the country, marked by the Beirut port explosion, pandemic and a severe financial crisis.
According to the designer, the project became a source of relief for those involved.
“It became a source of relief for everyone involved,” she said.
“This relief was not necessarily practical; rather, it stemmed from the act of creating art, sculpting the stone, and deeply connecting with both the material and each other.”
Us, Her, Him was shortlisted in the Installation design category in this year’s Dezeen Awards 2024.
Other installations recently published on Dezeen include The Temple of Peace created by a group of design graduates and refugees and a self-supporting structure made of hollow glass blocks by Palestinian architects AAU Anastas and Japanese sound artist Tomoko Sauvage.
The photography is by Iwan Baan, Damien Arlettaz and Simon Youssef.
