“The Wind Portal”

Lebanese designer Najla El-Zein has just wrapped up her critically-acclaimed exhibition at Victoria and Albert Museum in London, UK. “The Wind Portal” debuted on September 14th of this year, running until November 3rd. The V&A provided Ms. El-Zein with a massive, 8-metre high doorway in their museum complex from which she hung the 5,000 paper windmills that created her installation. 

The effect was one which joined the antique section of the museum with the newer and architecturally modern section of the museum, emphasizing the importance of the transitory segment between the two.

The installation was given additional life through the inclusion of several small motors used to generate wind in different segments of the piece at varied times, creating a multi-sensory, fluttering effect that rippled throughout the installation. The proximity of an adjacent skylight also allowed for ever-changing shadows, responding to both the natural light as well as the interaction of the installation with the wind generators. Visitors were therefore able to not only see, but also hear and feel the transition process.

“The Wind Portal”

Ms. El-Zein was born in Beirut in 1983 and raised in Paris, where she obtained a degree in interior architecture from the prestigious Ecole Camondo. She is involved in a diverse array of design projects that combine different types of media and focus on the creation of “multi-faceted” environments.

To visit Ms. El-Zein’s website and for information on other artistic endeavours, please click here. To visit the Victoria and Albert Museum website, please click here.  Please see below for a video created about the installation by Najla El-Zein’s design team.