September 15, 2021 - Artist Gerry Judah’s monumental sculpture The Scroll stands in front of the House of Wisdom in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Made from 72 metric tons of steel and 240 metric tons of concrete, the 120-foot-tall work was unveiled in April 2019 to celebrate Sharjah’s designation as the UNESCO World Book Capital 2019. A single, spiraling sculpture that loops toward the sky, The Scroll is a contemporary interpretation of ancient Arabic scrolls.
The design and inspiration are representative of a celebration of reading and the power of books to unite people, central to the purpose of the House of Wisdom and that of the UNESCO World Book Capital initiative. The Scroll’s structure itself is very light but extremely stiff to counterbalance the desert winds, which was achieved by using a monocoque construction technique that Judah developed alongside the engineers at London-based Diales.
Photos: Gerry Judah
