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Concordia
Concordia
2025
Concordia, a monumental stained glass installation by Brian Clarke, was unveiled at Bahrain International Airport on 10 April 2025. Spanning 34 metres by 17 metres, covering 578 square metres, it is among the world’s largest stained glass works. Commissioned by Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, it symbolises for him Bahrain’s “openness, hospitality and ambition.”
Comprising 127 handcrafted panels, each 250 kilograms, Concordia was crafted over two and a half years with handblown German glass. The 43-day installation process resulted in a 32-tonne structure. Clarke’s design blends Islamic geometric patterns with Bahrain-inspired elements like jasmine, dragonflies, and hawks, alongside Western motifs such as oak leaves and daffodils. It has been compared by Clarke to medieval European tapestries and Books of Hours. Clarke described it as “a composition on a great rectangular scale that is like a view through to another world”.
Located at the terminal’s front wall, Concordia bathes the space in vibrant light and colour. Clarke said, "It’s something that in some ways unites the two parts of the world, the one that I come from and this region", highlighting Bahrain’s role as a cultural bridge.