Desert X AlUla, Saudi Arabia

Monika Sosnowska

Silent Witnesses of the Past

11.02.2022 - 30.03.2022
Photo: Lance Gerber
Photo: Lance Gerber
Silent Witnesses of The Past, 2021
Photo: Lance Gerber
Photo: Lance Gerber
Silent Witnesses of The Past, 2021
Photo: Lance Gerber
Photo: Lance Gerber
Silent Witnesses of The Past, 2021
Photo: Lance Gerber
Photo: Lance Gerber
Silent Witnesses of The Past, 2021
Photo: Lance Gerber
Photo: Lance Gerber
Silent Witnesses of The Past, 2021
Photo: Lance Gerber
Photo: Lance Gerber
Silent Witnesses of The Past, 2021
Photo: Lance Gerber
Photo: Lance Gerber
Silent Witnesses of The Past, 2021

Remnants of the Hijaz railway, which once connected Constantinople with the Holy cities of Islam, are still present in the desert landscape around AlUla: empty embankments stretch into the austere horizon, railroad tracks are used as building construction materials by local communities, defunct railway stations and rusty carriages are silent witnesses of the past.

Silent Witnesses of the Past pays homage to the memory of the Hijaz railway. The form is constructed from rusted scavenged rails placed in an upright position, each split from the top with the ends twisting towards the ground. It exists as a singular monument in the wadi, or flood plain, of an abstract oasis, inviting visitors to wander through it and inspiring a calm moment of contemplation of the present and past, evoking the footsteps of those who have come before and will come after.

Photo: Lance Gerber
Silent Witnesses of The Past, 2021
Photo: Lance Gerber
Photo: Lance Gerber
Silent Witnesses of The Past, 2021
Photo: Lance Gerber
Photo: Lance Gerber
Silent Witnesses of The Past, 2021
Photo: Lance Gerber
Photo: Lance Gerber
Silent Witnesses of The Past, 2021
Photo: Lance Gerber
Photo: Lance Gerber
Silent Witnesses of The Past, 2021
Photo: Lance Gerber
Photo: Lance Gerber
Silent Witnesses of The Past, 2021
Photo: Lance Gerber
Photo: Lance Gerber
Silent Witnesses of The Past, 2021
Photo: Lance Gerber