d’strict, a digital media content and technology design company, is collaborating with the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture & Tourism, to bring WAVE, a new public media art installation, to the United Arab Emirates.
WAVE, which debuted in the Samseong-dong neighbourhood in the centre of Seoul in 2020, will be on display at the Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation, one of the city’s top cultural venues, until 2 June 2024.
WAVE shows a huge wave that seems to be crashing inside an enormous L-shaped LED screen thanks to an anamorphic illusion. As d’strict’s most well-known piece, it uses a large outdoor billboard as a canvas for eye-catching public media art and is setting the standard for displaying three-dimensional adverts on a two-dimensional screen.
New public art installation for the UAE
The art installation features a rectangular space where waves crash, surrounded by desert sand, creating a stunning visual effect as the sand becomes wet with the movement of the waves. With the unveiling of WAVE at the Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation on 20 March 2023, the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture & Tourism also announced the ‘Public Art Abu Dhabi’ Initiative.
According to reports, the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture & Tourism’s long-term attempts to position Abu Dhabi as a major cultural centre served as the catalyst for the partnership with d’strict. Abu Dhabi has gained recognition as a cutting-edge tourist destination that also upholds its traditional culture, cemented with the inauguration of the Louvre Abu Dhabi in 2017.
The Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation has hosted a number of different cultural events, performances, festivals, and exhibitions since it opened in 1981. The outdoor billboard where WAVE will be screened was newly installed by the Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation for this screening.
Sean Lee, CEO of d’strict, says:
“It is particularly meaningful to showcase WAVE, a work based on water, in Abu Dhabi, a desert city. We appreciate the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture & Tourism for their extraordinary efforts in bringing WAVE to Abu Dhabi. We hope that WAVE will also bring comfort and solace to the citizens of Abu Dhabi.”
Later this year, d’strict’s ARTE MUSEUM will open a new venue at Dubai Mall, the world’s largest shopping mall.
Recently, the firm collaborated with Dior Seongsu, creating a majestic Christmas display for the luxury brand’s landmark store in Seoul, Korea.
