Edyta Barańska Returns To The UAE With A New Glass Installation at The Abu Dhabi EDITION

The stunning art piece that’s suspended 85-feet high shows light, transparency, and reflection…

Polish glass designer Edyta Barańska has a new instillation titled “Glass, Light, and Gold” that sits in the central atrium of the EDITION Hotel in Abu Dhabi. What makes the instillation unique is that it can be spotted from every floor of the hotel. Suspended 85-feet high under a glazed roof, the largest sphere is 196 inches in diameter, while the whole instillation is made of 7,000 handcrafted sea flowers.

The sea flowers though small are made of glass elements that Barańska is known for designing. According to announcement notes, the instillation gives the appearance of three complete yet closed spheres. But these three spheres are made of thousands of individual elements, with the largest holding 3,000 sea flowers and the two smaller ones holding 2,000 sea flowers. “Every element retains its own shape and texture, but it is their repetition that creates the whole,” explains the notes.

Each element is made from glass | Photo provided by Baranska Design

Photo provided by Baranska Design

"The client wanted to create a sphere from many small elements, and that was when I proposed our Sea Flowers,” says Barańska. “Because I could not create a single, fully enclosed sphere using our technology, I came up with the idea of constructing it in two parts. We prepared a model, sent it for approval and began working on the color palette."

Because the roof is glazed, natural light enters gracefully, making Barańska very happy. As the light flows through the glass elements, the surfaces reflect the light creating shifting patterns on the floor. Glass loves light, transmitting it, reflecting it, and refracting it. “It can almost disappear, only to burst into a thousand reflections moments later,” explains Barańska.

"The sun has become part of the composition, and the glass responds to it constantly. At one moment it is almost invisible; the next it begins to shimmer, reflect gold and cast trails of light across the surrounding surfaces. Although the spheres themselves are motionless, they are continually changing. Each time you look, you can discover something different," she continues.

Barańska’s work with glass has been praised for over twenty years. She was called back to the UAE after having an instillation at the Dubai Mall in 2025. Partnering with Art in Public Space, who she worked with for the Dubai Mall instillation, Glass, Light, and Gold has stunned at the Abu Dhabi EDITION, which has welcomed artists of another nature from actors to musicians to stay within its doors. But, instead of suspended birds, Barańska is working with spheres. Hilton, Sheraton, and Marriott have all exhibited her instillations, as well as private homes from New York City to Dubai.

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