Doha: Qatar Foundation is being transformed into a night-time playground for two Inuit-inspired characters with a serious message to send about the importance of protecting our planet - The Anooki.
Featuring an immersive light show and a series of inflatable characters installed on buildings across Education City, the Anooki experience aims to raise awareness about the effects of climate change, and educate people about the need for everyone to play their part in building a more sustainable world.
The Anooki will be in place from February 16-21 with pre-registered tours available to the public via the Education City App, and a series of precautionary measures being taken to ensure those who book can experience the installation while adhering to Qatar’s COVID-19 health guidelines.
The characters were brought to life by French designers David Passegand and Moetu Batlle, who initially based them on themselves and see The Anooki’s visit to Education City as a perfect fit, with sustainability – and engaging and empowering people to make it part of their lives – being at the core of QF’s mission.
Explaining the journey of the two characters, Passegand said: “Their house was melted by global warming, so now they run around the world and discover different cities.
“Everywhere they go, because they are joyful and full of hope, they play. Every new place is like a new playground – it’s a game, but a game inspired by the issue of global warming. It’s a fun and accessible way of telling the story about global warming and climate change issues.
“We want people to have fun, but to understand that our planet is fragile. The way we built the Anooki, and the inflatables – because of the materials we used – are also fragile, and this represents the fragility of our world.”
Hisham Nourin, Executive Director of Strategy, Administration and Projects, QF Community Development, said: “Throughout Qatar Foundation, we aim to encourage people to make sustainability part of their lives, by heightening understanding of what it means for our societies and our future, and recognition of how everyone can contribute to a more sustainable world.
“By bringing The Anooki to QF, we are using the power of art to engage people with this crucial issue, and emphasize the importance of everyone adopting actions and mindsets that can help to protect and preserve the planet.
“The arrival of The Anooki to Education City reflects Qatar Foundation’s belief that art, as well as being something to enjoy, can provoke thought, broaden perspectives, and be a catalyst for positive behaviors and social benefit – making people look at the world in a new light, and using the knowledge they gain from art into empowering others to help drive change.”
The immersive light show will take place at Penrose House (LAS Building), with Anooki installations at the ThinkBay, the Green Spine, Medbay (Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar), Biznest (Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar), Manufactury (Texas A&M University at Qatar), and the Ceremonial Court.
Guided tours will take place every 20 minutes between 6pm-11pm on each day of The Anooki’s stay at QF, with each timeslot being open to no more than 60 people, a maximum of 15 people allowed on each guided tour, and social distancing measures in place. All attendees must wear a face mask at all times and display a green status on their Ehteraz app, and will have their temperature taken before joining a tour.
To attend, members of the community must pre-register through the newly-launched Education City App, which is available to download for free from Google Play and the Apple Store.