Thunderous music and striking visuals draw thousands of people daily to a gigantic, translucent dome that is the centrepiece of Expo 2020 Dubai.
Intended initially as a shaded garden space, it took meticulous planning to transform Al Wasl, the world’s largest immersive dome, into a unique stage for top performers to shine.
The 360-degree dome never sleeps with rehearsals that continue well after the world's fair shuts its gates.
By day and night, engineers seated inside a darkened control room pull together high-tech, synchronised sequences that vary daily.
We were looking not just for a 360° solution but something that was immersive enough if you have Beyoncé singing here – that quality of sound
Tareq Ghosheh,
Expo's chief events and entertainment officer
Tareq Ghosheh, Dubai Expo 2020 chief events and entertainment officer, told The National about creating an experience to excite and energise visitors.
'Making lasting memories'
“We are in the business of making memories. This what we wanted to create in people’s hearts, something that lasts,” he said.
“One of the beautiful things is the sound because if you close your eyes you can feel the picture and movement happening around you.
“This is the biggest immersive sound and projection system in the world.”
The ambition was to capture the spirit of Dubai.
“It is a space that can embrace you, so grand, powerful and majestic but also gentle,” Mr Ghosheh said.
“Our teams rehearse in the morning, others at night and the technical staff sets up after we close doors.
“So Al Wasl is literally living 24 hours.”
Al Wasl will become 'bigger and better'
People lie down and stretch out on the curved stone seats built into the sunken walls to submerge themselves in the visuals.
During the day, visitors hear the sound of water gushing, horses galloping and children playing and often look around to check the source.
In the evening, when the call to prayer rings out, hundreds of white doves appear to perch on the steel trellis.
At night, the audience whistles and cheers as waves surge to the top of the 67-metre-tall structure and slow-moving whales fill up the sand-coloured screens.
“We are only at the start, this is the tip of the iceberg of what this installation will be able to achieve,” said William Ainley, vice president technical for Expo events and entertainment.
“Al Wasl is going to get bigger and better especially with the immersive systems.
“Every time I come out here, it blows me away. From a technological perspective, this is one of a kind, there is nothing like this in the world.
“Projecting to a dome has been done before but never to this scale, this resolution. The pixels we are working with, the video we have is unique.”
Connecting Earth to the sky
Even as the dome was being constructed, plans were altered to upscale it from an 'urban garden’ to take centre stage as a main venue.
Ducting and electricity points were redesigned, projectors tripled in number to 252 and rows of speakers were lifted for concert-quality sound.
“The level of projections as was planned was good enough for a garden. To be vivid and clear for broadcast, we had to raise the number of projectors. This was happening while Al Wasl was being finalised,” Mr Ghosheh said.
“So everything, the ducts, containments, electricity, power capacity, internet, fibre-optics had to be revised.
“We wanted the sound to be perfect so wherever people are seated they could live the story.
“We were looking not just for a 360° solution but something that was immersive enough if you have Beyoncé singing here – that quality of sound.”
Projectors were placed inside large pods that resemble aircraft jet engines with a glass front. The air-conditioned pods are checked daily particularly in the severe summer heat by maintenance crews on an overhead walkway.
Because it would be uncomfortable for spectators to keep their head tilted watching the canvas, equipment was built and variations added to performances.
A suspended structure or truss strapped with sound and light was constructed to focus on stage performers.
“You need to connect the Earth to the sky and this happens with framing,” Mr Ghosheh said.
“In a dome there are no poles to hang things on so we had to create a truss, like a circle, that is suspended.
“We needed to maintain audience engagement because if they are not part of it, they will get lost.”
To boost the theatrical effect, layers of lighting were fitted with about 1,500 lights on the trellis, 30,000 LED lights across the garden, strobes and telescopic beams.
How the dome comes alive at night
A quiet, darkened central control room with massive glass windows is the staging zone that fires up the content.
It is staffed 24x7 with engineers and software experts drawn from across the world who pull together the special effects.
After the Expo shuts for the night, co-ordinators rehearse the next day’s sequence.
“It’s the best view in the house,” said Mr Ainley of the team’s commanding view.
A combination of live and timed sequences is programmed to play through the audio and light systems.
“We have to tie together lighting, projection and audio and it’s all done with a time code so there is a specific sequence for all our synchronisation.
“There is always something new and when you see the reaction of the crowds it shows how special it is.”
The crew also run through shows created for children and content supplied by countries who book the stage for celebrations.
AI drones, butterflies and waterfalls
The planners created separate experiences for select guests who attended Expo's opening night and the millions watching on television.
Drones diving into an enormous globe, a waterfall and butterflies fluttering in the central dome could only be seen by TV audiences.
“This was one of the biggest installations of augmented reality for a live event in the world,” Mr Ghosheh said.
“The cameras would pass through the scene and add these elements.
“It was six cameras connected to filters of augmented reality in real-time renderings as we were shooting the event.”
The crew worked with a broadcast director to plan every AI frame.
“So when performers were dancing on the ground, the people on television saw drones flying into Al Wasl, they saw butterflies, white doves and towards the end the greenery that tumbled down and a waterfall,” he said.
Theatrical tricks created the effect of a rotating globe that was lifted with winches installed around the dome.
“It was supported with LED technology so for the naked eye the globe looked like it was rotating but it was only the content that was moving,” he said.
"Sometimes you need to play some tricks in order to keep audience attention.
“And inside, no one saw how the artists connected the globe in the dark as with the proper lighting, the cables disappear.”
Designers built a basement and lift under the revolving stage, used by performers such as Ellie Goulding to emerge in the central area.
The lift is strong enough to carry a car and continues to delight crowds during performances.
“You can see the surprise in children’s eyes when suddenly performers appear or disappear on stage,” he said.
When to catch the shows
In October, watch Harmony Under Water as the dome is submerged and octopus, tortoises and whales swim past at night.
Tribute is paid to famous Emirati poet Ousha bint Khalifa Al Suwaidi, as the Moon speaks through the dreams of a young girl.
Several new shows are under development to be released, including plans for the UAE’s Golden Jubilee celebrations.
A detailed schedule of events is available on the Expo 2020 Dubai website.
The bleacher seats will soon be removed to make way for wider seating.
“There are some tricks we are going to add where people will feel even more of a connection,” Mr Ghosheh said.
“There are so many things we have not released yet. We are keeping them in a box but they will soon come out.”
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
FROM%20THE%20ASHES
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Globalization and its Discontents Revisited
Joseph E. Stiglitz
W. W. Norton & Company
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
Why seagrass matters
- Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
- Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
- Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
- Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
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Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
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Banthology: Stories from Unwanted Nations
Edited by Sarah Cleave, Comma Press
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Company%20profile%20
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EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
Porsche Taycan Turbo specs
Engine: Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors
Transmission: two-speed
Power: 671hp
Torque: 1050Nm
Range: 450km
Price: Dh601,800
On sale: now
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
Coal Black Mornings
Brett Anderson
Little Brown Book Group
Also on December 7 to 9, the third edition of the Gulf Car Festival (www.gulfcarfestival.com) will take over Dubai Festival City Mall, a new venue for the event. Last year's festival brought together about 900 cars worth more than Dh300 million from across the Emirates and wider Gulf region – and that first figure is set to swell by several hundred this time around, with between 1,000 and 1,200 cars expected. The first day is themed around American muscle; the second centres on supercars, exotics, European cars and classics; and the final day will major in JDM (Japanese domestic market) cars, tuned vehicles and trucks. Individuals and car clubs can register their vehicles, although the festival isn’t all static displays, with stunt drifting, a rev battle, car pulls and a burnout competition.
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Match info
Uefa Champions League Group B
Barcelona v Tottenham Hotspur, midnight
The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLE
Price, base / as tested Dh274,000 (estimate)
Engine 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder
Gearbox Nine-speed automatic
Power 245hp @ 4,200rpm
Torque 500Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.4L / 100km
Small Victories: The True Story of Faith No More by Adrian Harte
Jawbone Press
Quick%20facts
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The years Ramadan fell in May
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
How tumultuous protests grew
- A fuel tax protest by French drivers appealed to wider anti-government sentiment
- Unlike previous French demonstrations there was no trade union or organised movement involved
- Demonstrators responded to online petitions and flooded squares to block traffic
- At its height there were almost 300,000 on the streets in support
- Named after the high visibility jackets that drivers must keep in cars
- Clashes soon turned violent as thousands fought with police at cordons
- An estimated two dozen people lost eyes and many others were admitted to hospital
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
If you go
The flights Etihad (www.etihad.com) and Spice Jet (www.spicejet.com) fly direct from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Pune respectively from Dh1,000 return including taxes. Pune airport is 90 minutes away by road.
The hotels A stay at Atmantan Wellness Resort (www.atmantan.com) costs from Rs24,000 (Dh1,235) per night, including taxes, consultations, meals and a treatment package.
Navdeep Suri, India's Ambassador to the UAE
There has been a longstanding need from the Indian community to have a religious premises where they can practise their beliefs. Currently there is a very, very small temple in Bur Dubai and the community has outgrown this. So this will be a major temple and open to all denominations and a place should reflect India’s diversity.
It fits so well into the UAE’s own commitment to tolerance and pluralism and coming in the year of tolerance gives it that extra dimension.
What we will see on April 20 is the foundation ceremony and we expect a pretty broad cross section of the Indian community to be present, both from the UAE and abroad. The Hindu group that is building the temple will have their holiest leader attending – and we expect very senior representation from the leadership of the UAE.
When the designs were taken to the leadership, there were two clear options. There was a New Jersey model with a rectangular structure with the temple recessed inside so it was not too visible from the outside and another was the Neasden temple in London with the spires in its classical shape. And they said: look we said we wanted a temple so it should look like a temple. So this should be a classical style temple in all its glory.
It is beautifully located - 30 minutes outside of Abu Dhabi and barely 45 minutes to Dubai so it serves the needs of both communities.
This is going to be the big temple where I expect people to come from across the country at major festivals and occasions.
It is hugely important – it will take a couple of years to complete given the scale. It is going to be remarkable and will contribute something not just to the landscape in terms of visual architecture but also to the ethos. Here will be a real representation of UAE’s pluralism.
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