EN    Sand is the most exploited resource in the world after water, and its consumption is growing at an unprecedented pace: China used more sand in three years than the US did during the entire 20th century. Ubiquitous at all scales, from roads through glass to microchips, sand is essential to how we move through, inhabit and see the world. Through a diverse range of media (film, drawings, fossils, and construction materials) the exhibition explores the value of sand, from its formation over time to the impact of its extraction in the present and its role in a regenerative future.

The exhibiton at the Sitterwerk Foundation was held in a space shared by its Kunstbibliothek – a reference library with around 30,000 volumes on sculpture, architecture, material, etc – and the Werkstoffarchiv – a collection of material samples organized as a physical and digital reference work. In close collaboration with  Siummer Islam and Wayne Switzer, we developed the exhibition identity and display system for the project. The exhibition consisted of three parts: A million-year timeline, compressed to scale and presented within using the existing bookcases. A collection of artefacts and material samples. A custom table with different types of sand. The design of the poster and promotional materials pays homage at the rich swiss typographic tradition, while trying to convey a sense of urgency and convey the idea that sand is surprisingly precious.