brief
Positioned on the historic site of the unification of the UAE, the Etihad Museum tells the story of the period between 1968 and 1974. Built on a campus that triangulates the Union House, the Jumeirah Guest House, and the 2016 Moriyama and Teshima designed museum, the collection is dedicated to preserving the heritage of the Emirates. Alserkal Advisory worked closely with Dubai Culture in 2022 to build a multi-year narrative. Its goal: to strategically reinvigorate the museum’s audience base and enhance the museum’s public offering to the public. The project, initially intended to last one year, transformed into a three-year engagement.
RESPONSE
Consolidating a loyal audience
Alserkal Advisory strategically conceptualised an annual Etihad Museum Cultural Season that comprises a curated programme of talks, screenings, workshops, and experiences. Taking place between October and May, each thematised season focuses on bringing contemporary dialogues to the museum’s historical narrative. The season’s varied event types and subjects target a broad range of culturally curious audiences, including locals, families, and young adults.
Crafting a destination
A rotation of museum interventions was conceived to bring new takes on Emirati culture into the museum’s spaces. Complementing the permanent exhibition which narrates the union of the Emirates, a series of exhibition annotations and immersive spaces pop up across the site, inviting visitors to re-experience the museum afresh upon each visit. An annual outdoor festival positions the museum as a neighbourly site of congregation for families, planting the seed for new generations to feel at home in and grow alongside the Etihad Museum.
Supporting new research and scholarship
The Etihad Museum research grant programme is designed to position the museum as a catalyst for the creation of innovative content and establish itself as a key contributor to knowledge generation. Rooted in the Etihad Museum’s intrinsic role as a dynamic platform for exploring Emirati identity, the grant serves as a unique opportunity to delve into the rich archive and respond directly to the Etihad Museum’s diverse collection of artefacts and objects.
Related Projects
Dialogue, exchange and experimentation at the Etihad Museum
Ephemeral interventions at Etihad Museum
