Mirage Series

Year:

2021

Commissioned by COLLECTIONAL

Debuted at the inaugural exhibition: The Shape of Things to Come

Sabine Marcelis

The Mirage series by Sabine Marcelis is a collection of design pieces commissioned exclusively for Gallery COLLECTIONAL.

Debuting during the gallery's inaugural exhibition, The Shape of Things to Come, the series comprises a round mirror, a mirror triptych, and a dining table, each exploring the interplay of light, color, and reflection.

Drawing inspiration from the duality of Dubai’s natural and urban environments, the harsh desert sun by day and the electric city lights by night, Marcelis created works that harmonize reflection and illumination.

This contrast becomes the guiding force of Mirage, capturing the city’s ever-shifting landscape, where energy flows equally from nature and architecture.

Inspired by the ancient tradition of stacking stones as meaningful markers, Cairn reimagines this concept through six to seven sculptural lights. Each piece is a study of materiality, combining polished surfaces with translucent layers that interact with light to produce optical distortions. As viewers move through the space, they experience a dynamic interplay of movement and stillness, where light transforms the organic forms into ever-shifting compositions.

Crafted from layered glass and mirrors with reflective and sand-blasted elements, each piece blurs the line between object and light source. Their soft lines evoke desert dunes, while their ability to reflect and diffuse light mirrors Dubai’s transformation across time. As functional objects and sculptural presences, they possess a dream-like, ephemeral quality, true to the series’ name.

This series of six pieces reflects Gallée’s pursuit of balance, solidity and weightlessness, reality and illusion, function and statement, while embracing the meticulous craftsmanship often reserved for smaller ornamental objects. The collaboration provided a platform for expanding Gallée’s exploration of scale and ritual through collectible design.

Mirage marks Marcelis’s first exploration of mirror design with integrated lighting, extending her ongoing investigation into glass as both medium and message. The collection embodies her signature approach: minimalist form balanced by material complexity and interaction with light. Each piece invites a sensory experience, engaging its environment as much as its viewer.

Cairn captures a sense of ritual and presence, inviting the viewer into a deeper connection with each piece.