Dubai Light Art Festival Scenic Fabrication at Expo City Dubai
Engineering Three Immersive Light Installations for Expo City Dubai
Dubai Light Art Festival brought a series of artist-designed illuminated works into the outdoor environment of Expo City Dubai. AGB Events commissioned Evolution Scenic to provide full project delivery for three of the installations: Minaret 2.0 by Abdullah Al-Mullah, Musk Spectre Sculpture by Dr Najat Makki and Afterlife by Maitha Hamdan. Evolution Scenic’s scope covered design development, structural engineering, fabrication, specialist scenic finishes, integrated lighting, transportation, installation, testing and final programming. The three artworks did not share one standard construction system. Each required its own relationship between structure, surface, lighting and site installation.
Minaret 2.0 was a slender ten-metre-high architectural form supported by a substantial counterweighted base. Musk Spectre Sculpture consisted of seven illuminated textile-clad figures distributed across a 180-square-metre area. Afterlife was a six-metre cylindrical structure enclosed by a complete digital LED curtain. Delivering the project required these technically different installations to be managed concurrently while maintaining the dimensions, material expression and lighting effects intended by their artists
Fabricating Minaret 2.0
Minaret 2.0 was the tallest of the three installations. The completed structure measured 2.1 metres wide, 2.1 metres deep and ten metres high. Its principal fabricated structure weighed approximately 1,000 kilograms. Evolution Scenic manufactured the supporting framework from mild steel. The narrow footprint and substantial height meant that structural stability could not be treated independently from the scenic design. A separate two-ton mild-steel base frame was fabricated with an engineered counterweight system. This allowed the installation to achieve the required stability while preserving the vertical proportions of the visible artwork.
The elevations were constructed from geometric acrylic frames finished with reflective vinyl. Accuracy was particularly important across these repeated components. Misalignment would have affected the rhythm of the geometric pattern and changed how reflections and internal light travelled through the structure. The acrylic sections also introduced handling and transportation considerations. They needed to arrive on site without damage to their profiles or reflective surfaces and then align correctly when attached to the steel framework.
Internal RGBW lighting was integrated within the completed structure. The fixtures produced programmed colour transitions and illuminated the acrylic geometry from within. Lighting positions, access requirements, cable routes and control equipment therefore had to be incorporated during fabrication rather than introduced after the structural work was complete.
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.
Creating Afterlife’s Digital Cylindrical Surface
Afterlife required the lighting technology to function as the artwork’s complete visible exterior. Evolution Scenic fabricated a cylindrical mild-steel framework measuring 2.4 metres in diameter and six metres high. The frame supported a continuous custom LED light curtain wrapped around the full circumference of the installation. A cylindrical digital surface requires consistent geometry. Changes in radius, vertical alignment or tension can become visible through gaps, distortion or irregular content spacing.
The steel framework therefore needed sufficient dimensional accuracy to maintain the form of the LED curtain from its upper support to its base. Power, control and data connections were coordinated with the supporting structure. These services needed to remain accessible for installation and testing while avoiding interference with the continuous visual surface. Once assembled, the LED curtain created a 360-degree illuminated installation. Animated graphic content could be viewed from every side, turning the cylindrical structure into an immersive digital scenic element rather than a conventional front-facing screen.
Managing Workshop Production and Pre-Assembly
The production programme was phased around the different requirements of the three artworks.
Minaret 2.0 required substantial mild-steel fabrication, repeated acrylic components, reflective finishes and a counterweighted base. Musk Spectre Sculpture required seven related but individually fabricated frames, interconnected bases, textile skins and internal RGBW systems.
Afterlife required accurate cylindrical metalwork and the preparation of a continuous LED curtain with its associated power and control equipment. Workshop pre-assembly allowed the team to review the fit between structural components before transportation. Acrylic panels and reflective vinyl could be checked against the Minaret frame. Fabric application could be reviewed on the Musk Spectre structures. The shape and mounting arrangement of the Afterlife LED curtain could be tested against the cylindrical framework. Lighting components were also prepared and tested before delivery. This helped identify potential access, cable-routing or alignment issues before the structures reached Expo City Dubai.
Planning Transportation & Site Installation
The three artworks required different transport considerations. The geometric acrylic elevations of Minaret 2.0 were identified as a particular logistical challenge. Although the completed installation reached ten metres high, its frame and finished components needed to be divided into transportable sections and protected during movement. Reflective vinyl and acrylic surfaces can be visibly affected by impact, abrasion or distortion. Their packaging and loading therefore needed to support both physical protection and the planned installation sequence.
The seven Musk Spectre frames also needed to reach site in an order compatible with their setting-out positions. The interconnected base system meant that installation sequencing affected the alignment of the complete group. Afterlife’s cylindrical framework and LED curtain required separate protection strategies. The metal components needed to retain their geometry, while the lighting curtain and electronic systems required controlled handling before being installed around the completed frame.
Site installation began with the positioning and securing of the structural bases. This sequencing established the setting-out, orientation and support conditions for each artwork before its visible components and lighting systems were completed. Minaret 2.0 was assembled onto its two-ton counterweighted base. The geometric elevations and internal lighting were then aligned with the primary structure. The seven Musk Spectre figures were positioned across the 180-square-metre area and connected through their metal base plates. Their RGBW systems and fabric surfaces were completed before three tonnes of sand were distributed around the installation. Afterlife’s cylindrical frame was assembled and checked before the custom LED curtain was installed around its full circumference.
The three artworks were at different scales and occupied separate areas, but their installation needed to progress within one coordinated site programme. Structural work, scenic finishes, electrical integration and testing therefore followed planned sequences rather than operating as isolated activities.
Structural Stability and HSSE Controls
Project-specific HSSE controls applied throughout the installation. The Minaret assembly alone involved a 1,000-kilogram structure and a two-ton counterweighted base. The work required controlled positioning, secure connections and verification of the completed support system.
The seven Musk Spectre figures needed to remain stable individually and as part of their interconnected arrangement. Their bases also had to be coordinated with the surrounding sand and concealed electrical infrastructure. Afterlife combined a six-metre structure with an externally mounted electronic surface. The framework, curtain connections and electrical equipment needed to remain secure and accessible for testing. Outdoor conditions were addressed through engineered base structures, counterweights and secure structural connections.
Detailed HSSE records have not been supplied. The case study therefore does not assign unconfirmed lifting equipment, engineering standards, wind ratings or inspection procedures to the project.
Creating an Immersive Illuminated Environment
The completed installations demonstrated three different ways in which scenic fabrication can support light-based artwork. Minaret 2.0 used architectural scale, reflection and internal colour to create a tall illuminated landmark. Musk Spectre Sculpture used steel, textile, light and sand to form a distributed scenic environment that could be experienced from within and around its 180-square-metre footprint. Afterlife created a continuous animated enclosure through a cylindrical LED surface visible from all directions. The project’s outcome was not simply the successful installation of three structures. It was the creation of three immersive experiences in which the underlying engineering remained controlled while light, surface and form defined the visible result.
Evolution Scenic’s delivery connected artist-led concepts with structural engineering, workshop manufacturing, specialist finishes, lighting systems, logistics and site installation. The project provides a clear example of the company’s ability to produce complex temporary art installations where scenic fabrication and technical integration must operate as one coordinated discipline.
