“Wind of Change” over “Whispers” by DRIFT (Photo: Arjen Van Eijk / Xinix Films)
Light becomes a living presence in Abu Dhabi as night falls across the city. For the outdoor light festival Manar Abu Dhabi, Dutch multidisciplinary art studio DRIFT brings its signature language of motion and illumination to the city’s open-air landscape, creating experiences that feel both futuristic and deeply organic. This year, the innovative team (founded by artists Lonneke Gordijn and Ralph Nauta) unveiled three large-scale installations—Whispers, Unfold, and Wind of Change—across Jubail Island.
In Whispers, 500 glowing elements are scattered through dense grass, creating a dynamic field of light that encourages visitors to wander and connect with the landscape. Unfold translates real-time heartbeats into generative audio and blooming floral visuals, inviting an interactive dialogue between viewer and environment. And the centerpiece, Wind of Change, features over 2,000 drones choreographed to mirror wind patterns and ocean currents, culminating in a luminous falcon, the emblem of Abu Dhabi, before dispersing into glowing “seeds” across the night sky.
Rather than existing as static objects, the installations respond to their surroundings. The city’s public art spaces glow, pulse, and breathe with light through DRIFT’s immersive environments where illumination moves like a living organism. Pulsing light sequences echo natural rhythms, encouraging visitors to slow down and become aware of their own presence. By placing the works outdoor, amid mangroves, tidal inlets, and open skies, DRIFT dissolves the boundaries between art, architecture, and environment.
Manar, whose name translates in Arabic to “lighthouse” or “guiding light,” positions light as both a material and metaphor. Within this framework, DRIFT explores connection, energy, and collective experience. The duo frequently draws inspiration from the natural systems. The influence of wind, growth patterns, and migration are evident here as the work feels less like technological spectacles and more like extensions of natural processes, momentarily embedded in the urban fabric.
As the city continues to expand is cultural landscape, projects like Manar Abu Dhabi signal a growing commitment to public art that prioritizes sensory engagement and global dialogue. DRIFT’s luminous installations offer moments of quiet wonder, inviting viewers to pause, look up, and experience light, not just as illumination, but as a living force.
Curated under the theme “The Light Compass,” this edition of Manar Abu Dhabi is scheduled to light up the night sky until January 5, 2026. To see more from these artists, you can follow DRIFT on Instagram.
DRIFT unveiled three new nature-inspired installations, transforming Abu Dhabi’s nightscape with living light.
“Wind of Change” over “Whispers” by DRIFT (Photo: Arjen Van Eijk / Xinix Films)
“Wind of Change” by DRIFT (Photo: Arjen Van Eijk / Xinix Films)
Glowing elements, interactive heartbeats, and 2,000 drones bring motion, nature, and the city’s emblem (a falcon) to life.
“Wind of Change” over “Whispers” by DRIFT (Photo: Arjen Van Eijk / Xinix Films)
“Whispers” by DRIFT (Photo: Arjen Van Eijk / Xinix Films)
“Whispers” by DRIFT (Photo: Arjen Van Eijk / Xinix Films)
By responding to surroundings and natural rhythms, DRIFT blurs the line between art, environment, and architecture.
“Unfold” by DRIFT (Photo: Arjen Van Eijk / Xinix Films)
“Unfold” by DRIFT (Photo: Arjen Van Eijk / Xinix Films)
“Unfold” by DRIFT (Photo: Arjen Van Eijk / Xinix Films)
“Unfold” by DRIFT (Photo: Arjen Van Eijk / Xinix Films)
“Unfold” by DRIFT (Photo: Arjen Van Eijk / Xinix Films)
Each installation invites visitors to engage with light as a living, transformative force.
“Whispers” by DRIFT (Photo: Arjen Van Eijk / Xinix Films)
“Wind of Change” by DRIFT (Photo: Arjen Van Eijk / Xinix Films)