The centrepiece of The Founder’s Memorial is The Constellation, a monumental public artwork featuring a dynamic three-dimensional portrait of Sheikh Zayed

Designed by international artist, Ralph Helmick, The Constellation is a monumental three-dimensional portrait of Sheikh Zayed that can be viewed from multiple vantage points around the memorial.

Housed in a 30m-high pavilion, The Constellation contains 1,327 geometric shapes suspended on 1,110 cables to create a series of evolving personal encounters with Sheikh Zayed’s image. 

By night, the suspended shapes shine like stars, a reminder of Sheikh Zayed’s role as a guiding light for the UAE and its people. This celestial display evokes the timelessness of Sheikh Zayed’s vision, which continues to guide the UAE along the path to progress and prosperity.    

The suspended shapes constitute five different types of regular, convex polyhedrons known as ‘platonic solids’, which are renowned for their mathematical beauty and symmetry.

The Constellation is one of the largest art installations of its kind in the world and is unique in its use of abstract portraiture on this scale.