Louvre Abu Dhabi trees to start singing today
ABU DHABI: Today, Louvre Abu Dhabi and Theatre du Chatelet, with the support of Bloomberg Philanthropies, will launch the world premiere of Singing Trees, a new interactive installation created by award-winning digital artists from London, Umbrellium, in collaboration with Paris’ Institute for Research and Coordination in Acoustics/music, IRCAM, and independent producer, Katherine Jewkes.
Combining innovative technology, music and an interactive visitor experience, Singing Trees offers a unique opportunity to engage with, and appreciate, nature. Activating the outdoor landscape of Louvre Abu Dhabi, Umbrellium will give a voice to the palm trees around the museum’s entrance using non-invasive, electronic belts attached to each tree. These belts will enable the trees to sing together as a choir that will change in response to the audiences’ interaction with the work. As visitors move closer to the trees, the choir becomes louder and more in-sync. Visitors are then invited to hug the tree to maximise the volume of the choir.
Singing Trees is on view at Louvre Abu Dhabi from 25th February till 7th March and is free to experience. After its Abu Dhabi premiere, the installation will be presented in cities around the world including in the garden of Paris’ Palais Royal from 10th to 20th September 2020, followed by presentations in London, New York and Paris again for the Olympics in 2024.
Thetreeswillsingacombinationofsongsinenglish, Arabic and French. In each country that exhibits the installation, new songs will be commissioned for the trees to sing. The featured musical pieces for Singing Trees at Louvre Abu Dhabi include Ayyala, a traditional Arabic song that reflects the artistic heritage of the UAE; “Greensleeves”, a traditional English folk song from the late 16th century and the French medieval choir song “L’amour de Moy.”
Manuel Rabate, Director of Louvre Abu Dhabim said, “Singing Trees speaks to Louvre Abu Dhabi’s mission to provide an educational and innovative space for its visitors. Coinciding with UAE Innovation Month, this piece explores how technological advances can bring us closer to nature and heighten our understanding of the environment. We are grateful to our partners Theatre du Chatelet and Bloomberg Philanthropies who made this project possible and look forward to seeing Singing Trees travel the world.”
Ruth Mackenzie, CBE, Artistic Director of Theatre du Chatelet added, “With climate change now a part of our everyday lives, this installation physically manifests, with pioneering technology, the urgent need to listen to what nature is telling us and respond with care.