2,000 Drones Light Up Abu Dhabi Night Skies with “Living Light” Performance
Light transforms into a vibrant entity in Abu Dhabi as darkness descends upon the city. For the outdoor light festival Manar Abu Dhabi, the Dutch multidisciplinary art studio DRIFT showcases its distinctive brand of motion and illumination in the city’s outdoor environment, crafting experiences that are both avant-garde and profoundly organic. This year, the creative team (established by artists Lonneke Gordijn and Ralph Nauta) revealed three substantial installations—Whispers, Unfold, and Wind of Change—across Jubail Island.
In Whispers, 500 luminous elements are dispersed through thick grass, forming a lively field of light that invites visitors to explore and engage with the landscape. Unfold converts real-time heartbeats into generative sound and blossoming floral visuals, fostering an interactive conversation between observer and surroundings. The highlight, Wind of Change, showcases over 2,000 drones synchronized to replicate wind patterns and ocean currents, culminating in a radiant falcon, the symbol of Abu Dhabi, before dispersing into glowing “seeds” across the evening sky.
Rather than being mere static installations, the artworks interact with their environment. The city’s public art spaces glow, pulse, and breathe with light through DRIFT’s immersive settings where illumination flows like a living entity. Pulsating light patterns reflect natural rhythms, prompting visitors to slow down and become conscious of their own existence. By situating the works outdoors, amid mangroves, tidal inlets, and open skies, DRIFT blurs the lines between art, architecture, and the environment.
Manar, which translates in Arabic to “lighthouse” or “guiding light,” positions light as both a physical element and a metaphor. Within this context, DRIFT investigates connection, energy, and shared experience. The duo often finds inspiration in natural systems. The impact of wind, growth patterns, and migration are apparent here as the work resonates less as technological spectacles and more as extensions of natural processes, briefly integrated into the urban landscape.
As the city’s cultural landscape continues to evolve, initiatives like Manar Abu Dhabi indicate a growing dedication to public art that emphasizes sensory engagement and global discourse. DRIFT’s radiant installations provide moments of serene wonder, encouraging spectators to pause, gaze upward, and perceive light not only as illumination but as a living force.
Organized under the theme “The Light Compass,” this edition of Manar Abu Dhabi is set to illuminate the night sky until January 5, 2026. To view more from these artists, you can follow DRIFT on Instagram.