Dana Awartani created a site-specific installation at the Rottembourg Fort at the very edge of Rabat, where the land meets the sea. Inspired by the solitude, and to an extent the melancholy of this abandoned site that overlooks the vastness of the sea, the artist has created an installation that echoes the neglected and destroyed lands and built heritage of the Middle East and North Africa. Made to look like a traditional geometric tiled floor commonly found across the Muslim world and referencing the local craft of zellij, the work comprises of different soils that have been gathered from across Morocco and produced in collaboration with a zawiya of clay potters. Inspired by the ancient method of ‘adobe’ building, a method of architecture that uses earth and organic materials, and found around the world, the artist has produced the work mindfully skipping the crucial steps that temper and solidify the earth tiles. Instead, the work is allowed to crack, deteriorate and eventually crumble over the course of the exhibition, reflecting on the destruction of the Middle East’s built heritage. The work also encourages the viewers to witness, mourn and be active participants in the deterioration of the artwork, and see it evolve into new forms through every developing crack. The work questions the notion of time in relation to history, what societies choose to preserve, our collective memories and the importance-built heritage brings in unearthing our past in a way that creates a shared experience for the society inheriting this heritage and how it shapes notions of identity.