In the grounds of champagne house Ruinart's domain in Reims, France, a curious glass object stands atop a tall tripod in a clearing among the trees. Resembling an ethereal, translucent hive, the conical structure is a site-specific installation by Palestinian architecture and engineering studio AAU Anastas, created in collaboration with sound artist Tomoko Sauvage.
Called Serpentine Bell, it is built from 103 hand-crafted blown-glass voussoirs (wedge-shaped elements) that are not only visually striking but also crucial to the sonic qualities of the installation. Their delicate surfaces refract light and enhance sound, amplifying the acoustic experience within the space.
Collaborating with Sauvage
Called Serpentine Bell, the structure stands on steel stilts in a garden on the estate of champagne house Ruinart in Reims, France
Elevated 1.35m above the ground on steel stilts, the piece invites visitors to step underneath to poke their heads inside as if it were an immersive kaleidoscope. As light refracts through the glass, the surrounding trees appear distorted, their forms wavering like underwater reflections. The air is filled with the subtle, immersive sounds of water-filled bowls and micro air bubbles emitted by chalk stones collected from Ruinart’s deep underground cellar, creating an auditory landscape that feels both otherworldly and serene.
The project was initiated in 2024, when Tomoko Sauvage was commissioned by Ruinart to create a site-specific installation in its garden. As soon as Sauvage received the invitation, she approached AAU Anastas to collaborate. 'We have long been following Tomoko Sauvage's work, particularly her exploration of sound and materials,' explains Elias Anastas, who co-founded the studio alongside his brother, Yousef, in 2011.
The bell is a woven structure of 103 blown-glass bricks built using stereotomic techniques
'As we started discussing the installation, we quickly realised that we shared a deep sensitivity to the delicacy of working with materials,' Anastas told Wallpaper*.
'Tomoko’s practice focuses on the sonic qualities of materials, using bowls, water, and subtle techniques to compose and record sound. Similarly, our work is rooted in the precision and delicacy of stereotomic principles, where we engage with the sophistication of materials like stone and the techniques that shape them.'
Exploring materiality and sound
Visitors are invited to stand underneath the bell-shaped structure, positioned at shoulder height, to immerse themselves into a peculiar visual and sonic experience
The collaborators’ shared understanding of materiality and its subtleties became the foundation for the collaboration. For the Anastas brothers, Serpentine Bell builds on Stone Matters – the studio's decade-long research into traditional stone building techniques – but here, stone is switched for glass.
Each of the installation's 103 blown-glass voussoirs (divided into 11 typologies) are crafted through an experimental process involving plaster moulds and 3D-printed templates. The resulting thick glass bricks interlock in a way that allows the form to hold together with minimal structural support – much like the ceiling of the gift shop that the studio completed in Jerusalem in 2018. The geometry is both intricate and organic, creating an unusual structure that reflects light and interacts with its surroundings.
Serpentine Bell builds on AAU Anastas' decade-long research into stone construction techniques and how they can be used in contemporary architecture
'Tomoko’s work is about the quiet subtleties of sound – how water, bowls, and composition come together in a gentle way,' explains Anastas. 'For us, it’s the careful precision and finesse of working with stone and stereotomic techniques. In Serpentine Bell, we brought these sensibilities together, blending stone, glass, and sound in a way that creates a subtle, immersive experience, encouraging a deeper connection with the materials and the space.'
‘The flowing forms of the structure, with their sinuous curves and bell-like contours, evoke subtle references to symbols of transformation and purification’
Elias Anastas, AAU Anastas
'This experiment invites questions about how we might build with sound – how material can shape, reflect, and amplify it,' he continues. 'The flowing forms of the structure, with their sinuous curves and bell-like contours, evoke subtle references to symbols of transformation and purification found in various traditions, where sound plays a significant role in spiritual renewal, including in Japanese culture.'
Looking Ahead
The glass bricks interlock in a way that allows the form to hold together with minimal structural support
2024 has been a year of incredible output for AAU Anastas, underpinned by its founders' deep commitment to their homeland in Palestine. From its participation in the Design Doha Biennial with 'Tiamat', a groundbreaking exploration of stone's potential, to 'Carthagisme', a group exhibition in Tunis, it continues to push the boundaries of contemporary architecture and design. At the same time, the duo's focus has also been on advocacy and relief efforts, channelling proceeds from their work into initiatives such as the Revive Gaza’s Farmland project and Médecins Sans Frontières.
Looking ahead, the Bethlehem-based studio is poised to further the Anastas brothers' mission with upcoming projects across the Middle East and the UK, while its Wonder Cabinet cultural hub, opened in 2023, evolves into an experimental education platform.
Perhaps what is most powerful about AAU Anastas’ practice is what it represents in times such as these: the human propensity to create in the face of unimaginable destruction, loss, and grief. These are spaces that foster connection, preserve community memory, and inspire hope.
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