Soft folds of Gentle 2 textile by Kvadrat Febrik drape to form the structure of Blue Velvet Colonnade, a soft architectural installation developed by Bahraini — Danish, the design practice of Batool Alshaikh, Maitham Almubarak and Christian Vennerstrøm Jensen. With Blue Velvet Colonnade, the studio makes its debut using textile as a material.

Whereas a traditional colonnade is a structural element designed to support a building, Blue Velvet Colonnade makes use of the flexibility of textile to subvert the medium – it is an element of architecture that cannot even hold itself up, and which instead drapes under its own weight.

Formed from three textile columns that are separated by expanses of stretched material, the installation’s final form is solely determined by the effect of gravity and the spaces between its folds.

Bahraini — Danish further challenged the textile by embellishing it with golden embroidery. Playing out between the columns, this embroidery tells the tale of A’ali, a Bahraini town undergoing rapid change. Through this golden embellishment, the studio offers an interpretation of the town’s landscape, blending both present and prehistoric time.