Louvre Abu Dhabi’s Children’s Museum offers interactive art experience

Muhammad Yusuf, Features Writer

Louvre Abu Dhabi’s Children’s Museum is set to reopen with a fascinating exhibition, where children will be able to identify and explore emotions through artwork and immersive experiences. Launching June 18, the Emotions!: The New Art Adventure exhibition will feature ten artworks and multiple interactive stations, to familiarise children with identifying emotions — an essential milestone in a child’s development.

Running till 2023, Emotions! combines entertainment and education across three floors of immersive experiences, gamification and interactive play areas, encouraging children aged four to ten to learn about different emotions and how to spot them. Kids begin their art adventure at the exhibition by creating a personal profile and getting a wristband to collect points through activities and challenges.

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Visitors are first introduced to artworks from varying periods and geographical locations, through a series of observation games, discovering hidden details and stories behind each work. Interactive games and activities include various digital and touchless experiences, in addition to a workshop area with self-led tutorials — virtually presented by three young Emirati artists - on how to represent emotions through different art activities such as drawing, collage and 3D art. Children will also learn how emotions can also be expressed through body language via a touchless interactive game using movement recognition. The years between four and ten are regarded as formative for a child’s development. In this period, children begin to develop a sense of self and start understanding their emotions and how to express them.

Emotions! will encourage them to engage with their feelings through play and learning, with educational games and experiences helping them understand empathy, openly express emotion, let go of unpleasant feelings and also guiding them on how to handle emotions.

Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, said: “Louvre Abu Dhabi’s Children’s Museum is a haven of discovery, learning and stimulation, and we are thrilled to see it reopen its doors to children and their families. “The arts have the capacity to open a child’s creative potential, allowing them to see themselves and the world differently. The emotional well-being of our children is just as important as their physical well-being, and this important exhibition uses art as a catalyst for young ones to healthily connect with and express their feelings.”

 Manuel Rabaté, Director of Louvre Abu Dhabi, said “the Children’s Museum is at the heart of Louvre Abu Dhabi’s mission to engage the next generation through art.  There has been much talk about how the events of the past fifteen months have impacted children’s emotional and social development; so it is timely that we are reopening the Children’s Museum with a well-thought-out exhibition that supports these critical elements. With free entry for children, it also represents an excellent value day out for families.” Amine Kharchach, Interpretation & Mediation Manager at Louvre Abu Dhabi, added that “to ensure an engaging and meaningful experience, Emotions! offers children and families a variety of interactive and gamified activations that will lead them to explore the world of emotions through the lens of art. “Emotions! also harnesses innovative technology to ensure the safest, touch-free yet interactive experience possible, in an environment which is mindful of families’ needs.” The Children’s Museum is an ongoing exhibition platform and an extension of Louvre Abu Dhabi’s educational programming. Since opening in 2017, it has welcomed children and families with three original exhibitions: Travelling Shapes and Colours (2017–2018); Animals, Between Real and Imaginary (2018–2019) and A Costume Adventure (2019–2020).

Louvre Abu Dhabi has been certified as a “Go-Safe” site. It has a partnership with VPS Healthcare and timed ticketing, temperature checks and the considerable space provided for social distancing in the galleries and outdoor spaces of the museum, ensures safety.

Created by an agreement between the Governments of Abu Dhabi and France, Louvre Abu Dhabi was designed by Jean Nouvel and opened on Saadiyat Island in 2017.

It is inspired by traditional Islamic architecture and its monumental dome creates a rain of light effect and a unique social space that brings people together. Louvre Abu Dhabi celebrates the universal creativity of mankind and invites audiences to see humanity in a new light. Through its innovative curatorial approach, the museum focuses on building understanding across cultures: through stories of human creativity that transcend civilisations, geographies and times.

The museum’s growing collection is perhaps unparalleled in the region, and spans thousands of years of human history, including prehistoric tools, artefacts, religious texts, iconic paintings and contemporary artworks. The permanent collection is supplemented by rotating loans from thirteen French partner institutions, regional and international museums.

Louvre Abu Dhabi is also a testing ground for new ideas in a globalised world and champions new generations of cultural leaders. Its international exhibitions, programming and Children’s Museum are inclusive platforms that connect many communities. Saadiyat Cultural District on Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, is devoted to culture and the arts. An ambitious cultural undertaking for the 21st century, it aims to be a nucleus for global culture, attracting local, regional and international guests with exhibitions, permanent collections, productions and performances. Its ground-breaking buildings will form a historical statement of the best of 21st century architecture: Zayed National Museum, Louvre Abu Dhabi and Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.  The museums will complement and collaborate with local and regional arts and cultural institutions, including universities and research centres.