DAE proudly designed, created, and produced ‘A Journey Through Layers’, an intimate ceremony celebrating the many layers of Al Ain; its people, its history, and the artefacts uncovered over thousands of years. As the UAE’s first museum, its Re-Opening marks a significant national moment and reaffirms its place as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The 25-minute show blended heritage with modernity, using simple theatrical techniques and human moments of surprise to explore how stories and objects shape our understanding of time. The stage itself was conceived as a crossroads of heritage, linking the museum, oasis, and fort. Delivered in just 6–8 weeks, the creative collaboration with our global and local partners, strong strategic artistic approach, and technical excellence across solutions and team brought this project to life.
Blending manual theatrical devices innovative technological designs to reflect the living heritage of Al Ain, and the positioning of the museum. With many groundbreaking milestones and unique features.
- Creating an immersive environment which meant the audience were only 1 metre away from camels and anything crossing the ‘first stage layer’
- Designing 4 layers of staging, designed to be light weight and movable. 3 layers were manually operated and moved.
- A concealed falaj bespoke scenic piece brought real water on stage. It’s powerful presence brought the spirit of Al Ain’s heritage to life through flowing water and light.
- A moment where fire ignited the stage to create impact of the ‘metallurgy’ moment impacting the course of the UAE’s future forever.
- 1 layer of automated panels which allowed for larger movements of 6m panels. 30 monoliths in total were built.
- A record breaking 18 Barco UDX-4K40 projectors, Disguise servers, and a BlackTrax system using 52 beacons and 156 tracking points mapped moving architecture with pinpoint precision.
- 720 lighting fixtures and a fully spatial L-Acoustics audio system created an immersive environment for more than 1,800 guests.
- Using drones, inflatables and scenic pieces to create a sense of theatrical storytelling