Negative Heaps (of designated waste), 2015
Porcelain tiles
Dimensions variable
Commissioned by H.H. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan
Underpasses and tunnels in the UAE are often embellished with murals of cultural iconography - billowing flags, soaring eagles, voyaging dhows, infinite islamic geometry, bedouin lifestyles, undulating calligraphy. Embedded in the rapid development of transportation infrastructure is a celebration of nationalistic pride. Traditional themes escort you along these modern urban pathways.
Between 2014 and 2015 Divecha shadowed a contractor to investigate the design process of an underpass in Dubai, which was being decorated with intricate Islamic geometric patterns. Tunneling its was under Downtown Dubai this 1 kilometer long underpass connects the Dubai Financial District with the Business Bay Area. It runs along route D 86 that is currently known as Al Mustaqbal street. Former names include First Al Khail street, Al Sa’ada street, and Happiness street. Part of an intra-city network of roads and streets this tunnel is at the heart of Dubai’s ultra-modern retail, hospitality, finance and residential hotspot.
Zellige is a centuries old form of mosaic tilework used to decorate Islamic Architecture, such as the Alhambra and La Mezquita. This process of tessellation demands expertise in mathematics and craftsmanship. The tile fabrication and decorating of this tunnel wall echoes this ancient process. Here the traditional master craftsmen from the Middle East are replaced by South Asian workers. The interlocking geometry is first mapped using design software to create detailed diagrams. At a factory these diagrams are fed into water jet machines to cut out unique shapes from standard rectangular tiles (a stage where vernacular patterns are introduced into modernist grids). Each tile piece is hand numbered and sent on site, where a team of workers spend many laborious months piecing together this enormous puzzle. The cutting process at the factory creates a large amount of wastage.
Following the cutting process at the factory, Divecha collected the waste from tiles meant to cover a vibrant wall section of 80m². At the centre of this section is a beige ten pointed star surrounded by patterns in red, blue, green and yellow (colors that were prevalent in 17th century mosaics). Each residual tile piece is a negative shape. Collecting these waste pieces from the factory recalls Henri Matisse’s cut outs obtained from his studio floor. However, Divecha collected these tiles systematically and hand numbered the back of each waste piece, based on the factory’s numbering system. He then interpreted these numbers to devise his own installation system, arranging the tiles in organized but irregular heaps.
Unlike the illustrative imagery of many underpass walls, the mosaic patterns avoid depiction as per Islamic teachings. In this installation that is devoid of a visually coherent geometry, the tiles form an expansive floor sculpture, possibly reflecting a chaotic urban sprawl. An archive of waste, an indexing of labour, an abstracted mosaic pattern - in this process of translating urban refuse many nuances get coded in ‘Negative heaps (of designated waste)’.
This project was commissioned by H.H. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, for the show ‘A Public Privacy’ curated by Mohammed Kazem and Cristiana de Marchi. The artist would like to thank Sai Karthik (Dutco Balfour Beatty), Charbel Abi Abboud (Lever L.L.C.), Faisal Abdul Hakkim (Lever L.L.C.), Sagar Abdul Hakkim (Lever L.L.C.), Lambert Carlose (Lever L.L.C.) and Waleed Francis (Lever L.L.C.), for their logistic support. Special thanks to The Salama bint Hamdan Emerging Artists Fellowship, Campus Art Dubai, Salwa Mikdadi, Murtaza Vali, Kevin Jones, Mohammed Kazem and Cristiana de Marchi.
