OUT OF THIS WORLD

Aya Universe lands in Dubai

As the lines between technology and real life continue to blur into one, creative entrepreneurs are coming up with new ideas to give people a taste of life in the metaverse. Dubai’s new attraction, Aya, transports visitors into a futuristic universe through the magic of art and technology. Without the need for an AR headset, you’ll get the feeling of being in a video game.

Across 12 zones and 40,000 square feet, visitors explore different universes, each more imaginative than the next. The journey begins by entering the world of Aurora, followed by The Source, Drift, Outland and

The Pool zones. Cosmic stars, pools, lush hills and waterfalls can be found in The River zone, while The Falls, Celestia, Flora, Tides and Harmonia complete the experience.

Found in Wafi Mall, Aya’s entrance looks like a chic café, but walk through the LED tunnel and a different world awaits. Before you go thinking this is just another built-for-Instagram #influencersinthewild attraction – think again. Yes, you’ll see the aesthetically pleasing space all over your feed, but Aya is so much more than a photo op. In Drift, for example, visitors are encouraged to sit or lie on the raised bumpy flooring, feel the gentle vibrations run through them and stare up into the kaleidoscopic ceiling until they start to feel a sense of weightlessness.

Outland uses clever skeletal tracking and projection mapping to project your own avatar on the screen, which will follow your movements as you make them. Our personal favourite zones include Tides; an endlessly mirrored room with LED totems and an interactive monolith, where a series of four shows total to an eight-minute experience, and Flora; an indoor LED garden surrounding a bioluminescent tree, which reacts to a thunderstorm halfway through the room’s nine-minute show.

While each room is programmed to a looped ‘show’, there’s freedom for guests to stay in each room for as little or as long as they like, passing through the zones at their own pace. The attraction is designed and managed by Hyperspace, a Future Forward Entertainment company that builds and operates physical parks for a digital world. Alexander Heller, CEO of Hyperspace, said: “We chose Dubai as the destination for Aya – our first immersive entertainment park – as it is a city invested in future-culture, with a demanding and digitally active tourist and resident market. Aya has been designed to evoke wonder and awe in an out-of-this-world trip to a beautiful universe that will light up social media feeds everywhere.”

Aya Universe, Wafi City Mall, Wafi, Dubai, Mon to Fri 10am to 10pm, Sat and Sun 10am to midnight, Dhs99 for up to two hours.

Tel: (0)4 542 0300. aya-universe.com

“DUBAI IS A CITY INVESTED IN FUTURE-CULTURE, WITH A DIGITALLY ACTIVE MARKET.”