Shezad Dawood: Coral Alchemy (Acropora Grove) - Abu Dhabi, UAE

Coral Alchemy (Acropora Grove) is a large-scale sculptural installation conceived by artist Shezad Dawood and realised in collaboration with Factum Arte for the inaugural Manar Abu Dhabi exhibition in 2023. Installed along Abu Dhabi’s Corniche Beach, the work explores the relationship between natural forms, computational processes and environmental change, bringing the fragile ecosystems of the ocean into public view. The sculpture draws inspiration from Acropora downingi, a coral species native to the region and increasingly threatened by rising sea temperatures. Developed through conversations with marine scientist Noura Al Mansouri from the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi, the project explores the parallels between biological growth and computational geometry, combining artistic interpretation with machine learning to replicate the complex branching structures of coral.

The form was developed in Houdini through a procedural simulation of natural coral growth, capturing its geometry at a particular moment in time. The resulting model was then extracted, refined and subdivided into individual components, each optimised for the maximum build dimensions of the 3D printers. The sculpture was produced in 28 sections, 3D-printed layer by layer using silica sand bonded with resin and assembled around an internal stainless-steel structure. Throughout the fabrication process at the workshop, scaled models, assembly tests and material experiments helped resolve the relationship between the intricate digital geometry and the practical challenges of producing a large-scale physical sculpture. The final surface was finished with thermochromic paint, shifting from vibrant orange to white as ambient temperatures rise. This transformation evokes the process of coral bleaching, making the effects of rising temperatures visible through the artwork itself. The sculpture becomes a dynamic reflection of its environment, connecting the possibilities of digital fabrication with the vulnerability of marine ecosystems..

Project Team German Nieva, Ryan Lam, Nikolai Delvendahl Artist Shezad Dawood Fabricators Factum Arte Structural Engineers TZG Partnership Photos: Lance Gerber. Courtesy of Shezad Dawood. © Department of Culture and Tourism. Photos (process):