The Tapline, 2024

Saad Al Howede’s The Tapline (2024) is a conceptual installation examining the role of oil in our electricity-dependent society. The newly commissioned artwork pays tribute to the historic Trans-Arabian Pipeline, known as Tapline, which connected the oilfields of Saudi Arabia to the West.

Now a heritage site, the artwork reimagines the pipeline. Constructed from steel, The Tapline sits on the edge of Wadi Hanifah with one end pointed away from the viewer and projecting a steady beam of light across the water. The installation’s luminosity symbolizes the economic prosperity that bloomed along the pipeline from East to West.

Considering our reliance on fossil fuels, the artwork invites the viewer to reflect on how we would power artificial light sources if oil had never been discovered.