FROM THE GRANDPRIX WINNERS

Louvre Abu Dhabi had one of the grandest openings imaginable, attended by presidents, statemen and the world’s media. Naturally, the client had concerns about the possibility of the museum turning into just another tourist spot once the novelty of the grand opening wore off. They wanted to ensure that residents and Emiratis would keep coming back and that the museum would be the catalyst to bring art closer to the people, beyond the beautiful museum architecture. Museums, more often than not, are as famous as their masterpieces. Since Louvre Abu Dhabi had been recently established, it was imperative to make its collection of masterpieces iconic and, more importantly, bring museum culture closer to the people.

We knew that 12,000 vehicles travel the E11 highway from Dubai to Abu Dhabi daily, and what better way to give them a glimpse of what the museum has to offer than through an interactive driver experience. What makes it all the more special is how we managed to combine mediums that might be perceived as outdated, such as radio and outdoor, but through technology give them a new lease on life. The results really took us by surprise, especially Louvre Abu Dhabi’s social impressions, which went from 330,000 before the Highway Gallery installation to a whopping 31,000,000+ just two weeks after. But it doesn’t stop there; the tech has road safety usages that can save lives and become a meteorological warning system, currently under consideration by government bodies in the quest to improve road safety and provide live-traffic and safety alerts to drivers.