إرث (Erth) - Desert Media Art

by Alreem AlAbbas, Amal Almazrouei, Fady John, Mustafa Bakir

Image: Michael Ang

Erth (إرث) is an interactive box that reflects on how heritage and modern progress shape one another. The name plays on the Arabic word irth meaning heritage or legacy and the English word earth. This is a tribute to how the UAE’s technological growth emerged from what was found beneath the ground, especially oil.

When participants come close, the box gently opens to reveal a layer of cultural objects that speak to memory, tradition, and identity. Beneath a thin layer of sand, a moving image of the Burj Khalifa appears, symbolizing progress rising from the land. This is a glowing scene representing the UAE’s future and its rapid development.

Participants can choose whether to explore the layer beneath or remain with the heritage layer alone. By inviting people to make this choice, Erth (إرث) asks how we balance what we inherit with what we build next.

إرث (Erth) – Film