Seven interconnected Musk Spectre figures extending across the 180-square- metre installation area

Public artworks displayed outdoors must preserve the artist’s creative intent while meeting demanding structural, environmental and visitor-safety requirements.


For the Dubai Light Art Festival, held at Expo City Dubai from 26 January to 4 February 2024, AGB Events commissioned Evolution Scenic to fabricate and install three large-scale illuminated artworks.


The project included Minaret 2.0 by Abdullah Al-Mulla, Musk Spectre by Dr Najat Makki and Afterlife by Maitha Hamdan. Each installation required a distinct combination of metal fabrication, structural calculations, specialist materials, integrated RGBW or LED lighting and secure outdoor installation.

The Challenge


The artists’ concepts needed to be translated into engineered structures capable of operating safely in a public outdoor environment.


Structural calculations had to consider wind loading, material durability, environmental exposure, base design and counterweight requirements. Each installation also needed to protect visitors while maintaining the visual proportions and material character of the original artwork.


The scale and geometry of Minaret 2.0 created a particular transportation challenge. Measuring approximately 2.1 metres wide, 2.1 metres deep and 10 metres high, its finished acrylic elevations required careful handling during delivery.


Musk Spectre extended across 180 square metres and combined seven connected figures with fabric, internal lighting and three tonnes of sand. Afterlife required a six-metre cylindrical structure with a continuous 360-degree light curtain.


All three installations needed to be coordinated, transported and securely positioned within the festival programme.

Building Seven Interconnected Musk Spectre Figures


Musk Spectre Sculpture occupied a much wider footprint. Evolution Scenic fabricated seven custom mild-steel figure structures and installed them across an area of approximately 180 square metres. The individual forms were elongated and relatively narrow, creating a strong visual contrast between their height and their lightweight translucent surfaces. Metal base plates interconnected the figures and helped establish their relationship across the completed composition. Accurate setting-out was required so that the spacing and orientation of all seven structures remained consistent with the intended arrangement.


Stretch tulle fabric was fitted over the steel frames. The textile transformed the fabricated skeletons into softly defined illuminated figures while allowing the internal RGBW lighting to remain visible. Fabric tension needed to be controlled to preserve each silhouette without producing heavy creases or uneven areas that could disrupt the lighting effect.


The RGBW fixtures created colour and shadow within the textile surfaces. Their positions had to account for the geometry of each figure and the visual behaviour of the tulle. Three tonnes of sand were installed around the completed structures. The sand formed part of the visible scenic environment, connecting the seven figures to the ground plane and extending the artwork beyond the fabricated forms themselves. Its installation was sequenced after the main structures had been connected so that the bases, cabling and access points could be completed first.

The Solution


Minaret 2.0 by Abdullah Al-Mulla

Evolution Scenic fabricated a custom metal structure weighing approximately 1,000 kilograms. Geometric acrylic frames with reflective vinyl were incorporated into its elevations, strengthening the form’s interaction with daylight and artificial illumination.


A two-tonne metal base structure and counterweights provided the stability required for outdoor display. Detailed calculations addressed wind loading and the behaviour of the tall installation in changing environmental conditions.


Internal RGBW lighting introduced gradual colour transitions representing the five daily prayer times, supporting the artist’s exploration of time and the spiritual rhythm of life in Dubai.


The completed structure’s height and delicate acrylic geometry required a planned transportation method to protect its finished surfaces during delivery to Expo City.


Musk Spectre by Dr Najat Makki

Seven custom metal structures were fabricated and connected through metal base plates to form the installation’s individual figures.


The structures were wrapped in stretch tulle, creating translucent sculptural surfaces through which internal RGBW lighting could produce shadows and changing visual effects.


The installation occupied an area of approximately 180 square metres. Three tonnes of sand were placed around the figures, supporting the artwork’s representation of women emerging from the ground and the transition of Dubai’s natural environment from water to sand.


Afterlife by Maitha Hamdan


Evolution Scenic fabricated a cylindrical metal structure measuring 2.4 metres in diameter and six metres high.


A custom LED light curtain was installed around the full circumference of the cylinder, creating a continuous 360-degree illuminated surface.


The structure provided the physical framework for Maitha Hamdan’s textile-led exploration of social boundaries, religion and personal memory.


Engineering and installation


Across all three artworks, Evolution Scenic combined technical calculations with custom metal fabrication, scenic material integration and secure base structures.


Installation methods were developed to comply with the required specifications and public-safety standards. A coordinated delivery schedule enabled the artworks, counterweights, lighting components and three tonnes of sand to be transported and installed within the festival timeframe.

Delivery Highlights

  • Three large-scale outdoor art installations
  • Custom structural calculations
  • Wind-load and environmental considerations
  • Visitor-safety planning
  • Bespoke metal fabrication
  • Secure base structures and counterweights
  • Integration of RGBW and LED lighting
  • Minaret 2.0 by Abdullah Al-Mulla
  • 1,000-kilogram minaret structure
  • Two-tonne metal base and counterweights
  • Geometric acrylic frames
  • Reflective vinyl finishes
  • Structure approximately 10 metres high
  • Musk Spectre by Dr Najat Makki
  • Seven interconnected metal figures
  • Stretch-tulle fabric surfaces
  • Installation covering 180 square metres
  • Three tonnes of sand
  • Afterlife by Maitha Hamdan
  • 2.4-metre-diameter cylindrical structure
  • Six-metre installation height
  • 360-degree LED light curtain
  • Complex transport and logistical planning
  • Secure installation at Expo City Dubai


Outcome


The three completed installations translated distinct artistic concepts into structurally developed outdoor artworks for public display at Expo City Dubai.


Minaret 2.0 combined geometric acrylic forms, reflective surfaces and changing RGBW lighting within a tall counterweighted structure. Musk Spectre used illuminated fabric figures and sand to create a sculptural landscape across 180 square metres. Afterlife transformed a cylindrical metal framework into a continuous surface of light.


Through structural calculations, specialist metal fabrication and planned installation, Evolution Scenic delivered each artwork in a form suited to the environmental and safety requirements of the festival.


The project demonstrated how close coordination between artists, scenic fabricators, engineers and lighting specialists can protect creative intent while resolving the practical demands of large-scale public art.

Project Ecosystem


Evolution Scenic – Structural development, design calculations, metal fabrication, acrylic and reflective finishes, fabric integration, base structures, counterweights, transportation and outdoor installation.

Evolution Technical – RGBW lighting control, internal illumination and technical integration across the artworks.