For the city’s entry sign, we were tasked with creating a smiling blue stone. The concept was rooted in the city’s identity: it is renowned for the mining of phosphate rock—apatite. Located at the North Pole region, with the nearest city hundreds of kilometers away, the sculpture’s smile was intended to greet and welcome drivers as they arrive and depart.

Working in close consultation with the author of the original concept, we developed the design and realized a six-meter-high sculpture made of steel, fiberglass, and pigmented epoxy resin. The sculpture is anchored by a base incorporating eight tons of concrete blocks. In addition, we designed and constructed the foundation under polar climate conditions and carried out the installation during the polar night.