Louvre Abu Dhabi Children’s Museum – Picturing the Cosmos

The key challenge for the “Picturing the Cosmos” team was to create an immersive, educational and interactive experience that would appeal to children and young people, while maintaining the high standards of a world-class museum. Original artwork and scientific exploration needed to be seamlessly integrated across three distinctly themed floors, ensuring that each aspect was engaging and accessible to a young audience. In addition, the project required coordination between several prestigious institutions, such as the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the UAE Space Agency and major French museums, to secure artefacts and resources. Achieving a balance between educational content, interactive technology and the enchanting atmosphere of Jean Nouvel’s iconic architecture was a major challenge, resulting in a unique and holistic learning environment.

The vision for the “Picturing the Cosmos” project was to create an engaging and educational journey through the cosmos, introducing children to the wonders of art and science in the inspiring setting of the Louvre Abu Dhabi Children’s Museum. Combining original artwork, scientific exploration and interactive experiences across three uniquely themed floors, the project aimed to inspire a love of learning and curiosity about the universe. Using RFID wristbands for personalised content and quizzes, the initiative aimed to make art and science accessible and fun for young visitors, leaving them with a lasting impression of their cosmic adventure and a deeper connection to the wider museum experience.

The “Picturing the Cosmos” project was meticulously designed and executed to create an engaging and educational experience for young visitors. The design process involved the creation of three distinct floors, each with its own theme and atmosphere: the mystical Cosmos Gallery, the technological Space Station and the adventurous Mars Trial. Original artefacts, interactive media stations and scientific instruments were carefully selected and integrated to provide a rich, multi-faceted exploration of the cosmos. The implementation required close collaboration between the Louvre Abu Dhabi, Mubadala Investment Company, the UAE Space Agency and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre, as well as extensive support from major French museums. Cutting-edge technologies such as RFID wristbands and dynamic projections were used to personalise the experience and ensure interactivity. This collaborative and innovative approach ensured that the project not only met its educational objectives, but also provided an engaging and immersive journey for children and young people

Design Team

Alexandra Vassilakou (project manager & site manager)
Marianne Ghafari (project manager graphics)
Rik van der Laan (site manager)
Competition Team: Britta Nagel (concept director)
Cord Grote (art director)
Tea Debeljak, Maxwell Madden, Amit Reshef (exhibition design)
Irina Goryacheva, Alena Back, Sofie Ascherl, Marie Sedelmaier (graphic design)
Till Nsoga-Zocher, Andre Antues (3D illustrations)
Jean Nouvel (architecture)
ATELIER BRÜCKNER (planning)
Projex (physical fabrication)
Louvre Abu Dhabi (media hardware)
Mosquito (software production)

Collaborators

Belzner Holmes Light-Design (lighting)
medienprojekt p2 GmbH (media-hardware planning)
Mosquito (audio design)

Photo Credits

Daniel Stauch; Siddharth Siva / Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (photography)

Daniel Stauch (videography)

Open Date

July 2023