Gallery: Watch a Pyramid of Mirrors Morph Based on Desert Weather

  • Image may contain Wood
    Gugo Torelli and Shirin Abedinirad
    01

    Babel Tower - Installation - Shirin Abedinirad - GugoTorelli #6

    Babel Tower is the work of Gugo Torelli, a designer from Florence, Italy, and Shirin Abedinirad, an artist from Iran.
  • Image may contain Ground Soil Nature Outdoors Road Gravel Dirt Road and Wood
    Gugo Torelli and Shirin Abedinirad
    02

    Babel Tower - Installation - Shirin Abedinirad - GugoTorelli #9

    The ziggurat-shaped stack of mirrored boxes sat in the Dasht-e Kavir desert, in central Iran, for a few days last October.
  • Image may contain Nature Outdoors Building Architecture Shelter Countryside Rural Bush Vegetation and Plant
    Gugo Torelli and Shirin Abedinirad
    03

    Babel Tower - Installation - Shirin Abedinirad - GugoTorelli #0

    Sensors, gears, and an Arduino were hidden inside the sculpture.
  • Image may contain Outdoors and Nature
    Gugo Torelli and Shirin Abedinirad
    04

    Babel Tower - Installation - Shirin Abedinirad - GugoTorelli #5

    As the sensors detected changes in the temperature and the light, the tower’s nine tiers would independently spin around.
  • Image may contain Ground Gravel Road Dirt Road Soil Outdoors Nature and Wood
    Gugo Torelli and Shirin Abedinirad
    05

    Babel Tower - Installation - Shirin Abedinirad - GugoTorelli #1

    This being the desert, a climate of extremes, the sculpture did a lot of spinning.
  • Image may contain Ground Nature Outdoors Soil Road Gravel Dirt Road Land Desert and Plateau
    Gugo Torelli and Shirin Abedinirad
    06

    Babel Tower - Installation - Shirin Abedinirad - GugoTorelli #3

    The earthy hues and gradients of the Iranian desert, when reflected in multitudes, create an interesting effect. It’s like you can see the entire landscape at once.
  • Image may contain Wood Ground and Soil
    Gugo Torelli and Shirin Abedinirad
    07

    Babel Tower - Installation - Shirin Abedinirad - GugoTorelli #4

    At other times, looking at Babel Tower is like gazing into a kaleidoscope of the desert landscape.
  • Image may contain Nature Staircase Outdoors and Scenery
    Gugo Torelli and Shirin Abedinirad
    08

    Babel Tower - Installation - Shirin Abedinirad - GugoTorelli #7

    “We wanted to give a message of unity,” Torelli says.
  • Image may contain Ground Soil Dirt Road Gravel Road Land Outdoors and Nature
    Gugo Torelli and Shirin Abedinirad
    09

    Babel Tower - Installation - Shirin Abedinirad - GugoTorelli #8

    That's where the name of the installation comes from: it's named for the Tower of Babel, from Genesis 11.
  • Image may contain Wood Nature Sunlight Outdoors Staircase Scenery Sky and Sphere
    Gugo Torelli and Shirin Abedinirad
    10

    Babel Tower - Installation - Shirin Abedinirad - GugoTorelli #10

    Babel Tower—Torelli and Abedinirad’s version—is still working and intact, but its creators had to remove the installation from the Iranian desert shortly after erecting it. “We are kind of independent artists,” Torelli says. In other words: “We didn’t have any authorization to install it there.”
Read More
Top Zoro Promo Codes for 2026
Find the best Zoro coupon codes, deals, and free shipping offers to save big on industrial equipment, tools, and supplies this month.
Molly Higgins
Top Hostinger Coupon Codes: 79% Off Hosting & Free Domains
Discover exclusive Hostinger promo codes, discounts, and deals on web hosting, cloud plans, and domain registration. Save big on your next Hostinger purchase today.
Molly Higgins
Top B&H Photo Promo Codes and Deals This July 2026
Enjoy top deals on cameras, computers, and tech essentials at B&H Photo.
Scott Gilbertson
Top LG Promo Codes and Coupons for July 2026
Save 20% with an LG promo code today, plus up to $1,000 off appliances, 40% off bestselling TVs and monitors.
Gear Team
Top Theragun Promo Codes: 15% Off in July 2026
Save on the science-backed devices you’ve been eyeing with 15% off Theragun discount code and 30% off other great deals.
Molly Higgins
Get 10% Off LegalZoom Promo Code for August 2026
Save on top services at LegalZoom, like LLC registration, incorporation, estate plans, and more with coupons and deals from WIRED.
Parker Hall
Surfshark Promo Codes for July 2026
Save up to 87% with a Surfshark coupon code, 3 months of VPN free today, and more from WIRED.
Scott Gilbertson
Best Braun Coupon Codes: 15% Off
Unlock exclusive savings on Braun IPL, shavers, and grooming products. Find verified Braun promo codes and expert tips to maximize your discounts.
Louryn Strampe
OpenAI’s Rogue AI Agent Hacked More Than Just Hugging Face
In a new disclosure, OpenAI says its agent used exposed logins to gain access to at least four “publicly available services” in its unhinged quest to solve a test.
Dell Cameron
A Typo Landed an Innocent Gamer in Prison for 18 Months
How much could a single underscore in a username really matter? Just ask Brandon Klayme, who served 18 months in prison before realizing how authorities arrested, charged, and convicted the wrong man.
Nate Anderson, Ars Technica
Ebay Has to Pay $55.7 Million in Settlement for Its Unhinged Harassment Campaign
For months on end, eBay employees and contractors made life hell for a couple that had criticized the company. Six years later, the company is finally paying up.
Lauren Goode
Laura Loomer’s Reversal on Ukraine Stirs Up the MAGA Civil War
Donald Trump’s base has been increasingly spilt. Laura Loomer’s sudden embrace of Ukraine has only widened that divide.
David Gilbert