We need more light in the world, don’t we? And the art installations seem to agree with that, for they are ready to spread the light

We made a stopover at a few such places and came back in awe with the LED displays, the play of colours, the reflection of the mirrors, and the overwhelming use of technology to make it all happen.

A botanical touch

A symbol of peace and harmony and a marvellous blend of art and technology, the centrepiece at URLA, a contemporary Aegean restaurant and lounge, is a sight for the soul. An impressive art installation, The Tree of Lights, is an overgrown juniper bonsai tree that has been reimagined and imbued with light. Symbolising harmony and peace, the bonsai is known to bring joy to friends and family when given as a gift. Created by a team of artists and engineers at San Francisco based Color+Light, the tree stands an impressive 18 foot tall and 20 feet wide, with a base measuring six foot. The art installation pushes the boundaries of art and technology by day, and by night it comes to life. Imagine this, inside its leaves, are a total of over 11,000 individually addressable, full-colour LEDs; each of its 1,000 leaves turns a myriad of ever-swirling colours and respond to sound and rhythm. The leaves change with a million different beats and pitch frequencies, promising a mesmerising performance to dining guests. The tree’s lighting content is inspired by nature and the environment, providing guests with a different light show every evening.

At: URLA, Fountain Level, Address Downtown Dubai Hotel, a permanent fixture

A visual wonderland

Walk into a fascinating, dimly-lit mirror room at The Nation Towers and be surrounded by countless lights, planets, and colourful objects as together it all creates the illusion of walking amidst endless galaxies. Called The World of Illusions installation, its mirror room gets the astonishing 3D effect courtesy of the thousands of small LED lights of varying sizes and hues, creating a multiverse of sorts. The interior of the room has life-size mirrors, covering the walls, ceiling, and floor, whilst the exterior has a galaxy visible through a custom graphic design, which looks like a broken section of the wall to onlookers on the outside. It gives spectators the feeling of peering into a vast and bottomless universe. The installation also showcases a collection of intriguing 3D objects placed in multiple locations throughout the shopping destination, including three illusion photo ops inside a custom enclosure. You can also enjoy a video booth and make interesting 5-10 second videos with versatile backgrounds offering a customised UI experience. Captivating and immersive custom-designed 3D artworks are also part of the exhibit, including a life-sized dragon! Additionally, the World of Illusions features several riveting optical animals for the little explorers to interact with. These include a cartoon-like rendition of a panda and a friendly robot dog.

At: Nation Towers Mall, Abu Dhabi,

8 am-10 pm, until 15 February

A kaleidoscope of colours

Get ready to be wowed by Burj Khalifa’s latest stunning light and laser show called World of Colour, which will illuminate the world’s tallest tower is incredible hues and paint the skyline in kaleidoscopic fashion. The show will have the same vibrating energy and beauty of Emaar NYE’s 2022 spectacle that left guests in attendance awestruck and wowed the watching global audience. The shows’ stylish and energetic lighting and colour choreography blend masterfully with the stunning video content in a way that will leave visitors with a lasting impression. After all, reasons to visit and watch the Burj are never enough!

At: Burj Khalifa, Wed- Fri (7:45 and 9:45pm) and Sat-Sun (7:45, 8:15 and 9:45pm), until March 31