The centerpiece of The Founder’s Memorial is a monumental public artwork called ‘The Constellation’, a dynamic three-dimensional portrait of the late Sheikh Zayed that can be experienced differently from multiple viewing points around the memorial.
The artwork was conceptualized and designed by eminent artist Ralph Helmick, who focuses on design works that explore human perception.
Housed in a pavilion standing 30 meters tall, the artwork consists of 1,327 geometric shapes suspended from 1,110 cables. These constitute five different types of regular, convex polyhedrons known as ‘platonic solids’, renowned for their mathematical beauty and symmetry.
At night, the geometric shapes of The Constellation shine like stars, evoking the timelessness of Sheikh Zayed’s vision as a guiding light for the UAE’s future generation.
The Constellation is one of the largest art installations, unique in its use of abstract portraiture on this scale.