“Ridge of Sand and Bone” is a public sculpture conceived for the Taklamakan Desert, composed of two intertwined installations — a monumental spine and a field of scattered metallic bone fragments. The arched vertebrae rise from the dunes like the exposed backbone of an ancient desert creature, embodying resilience, continuity, and the deep time of life. In contrast, the dispersed bone-shards shimmer across the sand as if reorganized by wind, erosion, and memory itself, suggesting cycles of disintegration and rebirth. Together, the two sculptures imagine the desert as a living organism with its own anatomy and soul — a landscape that breathes, remembers, and transforms. By walking through the work, viewers encounter a choreography of structure and ruin, presence and trace, experiencing how life and land merge into one evolving, luminous body.
The installation is located along the main scenic route — part of the ancient Silk Road. Its form is inspired by bone remnants found in the desert, composed of three layers of skeletal pillars that enclose a defined spatial zone. This area functions simultaneously as a passage corridor and as the largest mobile signal station before entering the deep desert. It also provides shelter, shade, rest space, and water refill for visitors and pedestrians.
The installation is located along the main scenic route — part of the ancient Silk Road. Its form is inspired by bone remnants found in the desert, composed of three layers of skeletal pillars that enclose a defined spatial zone. This area functions simultaneously as a passage corridor and as the largest mobile signal station before entering the deep desert. It also provides shelter, shade, rest space, and water refill for visitors and pedestrians.
Created by LYCHEN(YUCHENLI), 2023
Beijing, China
Beijing, China
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