The Louvre Abu Dhabi now hosts a striking new art installation titled "Choreography of a Cloud, Dancing Shadows Art Pavilion," created by the architectural firm YOKOMAE and BOUAYAD. This temporary pavilion opened on October 10 and will remain on view through December 28 as part of the Art Here 2025 exhibition. The installation was selected as one of five winning entries from over 400 submissions for the prestigious Richard Mille Art Prize. Spanning 131 square meters beneath the museum's iconic dome, the pavilion explores this year's theme of "shadows" through innovative design and materiality. The project represents a significant collaboration between Japanese architect Takuma Yokomae and Moroccan-French architect Ghali Bouayad.

The Richard Mille Art Prize competition invites artists and architects to create site-specific works that respond to the unique environment of the Louvre Abu Dhabi. This year's focus on shadows challenged participants to consider how light, darkness, and negative space can shape human experience. The jury selected YOKOMAE and BOUAYAD's proposal for its poetic interpretation of this concept, transforming the plaza beneath Jean Nouvel's famous latticed dome into a dynamic space of moving shadows and reflected light. The pavilion serves as both a functional art installation and an architectural prototype for temporary cultural structures in the Middle East.

The design concept centers on creating a cloud-like structure that appears to dance with the natural light filtering through the museum's dome. The architects employed a sophisticated mesh system that captures and refracts sunlight, producing an ever-changing pattern of shadows on the ground below. This effect transforms throughout the day as the sun moves across the sky, making time and celestial movement visible to visitors. The pavilion's form suggests lightness and ephemerality while maintaining structural integrity through careful engineering. Visitors can walk through and around the installation, experiencing different perspectives on how architecture can mediate between natural and built environments.

Technical execution involved specialized materials from ASADA MESH CO., LTD, which provided the translucent screening that defines the pavilion's character. Structural engineer Nobuyuki Takimoto collaborated closely with the design team to ensure the lightweight structure could withstand the region's climate conditions while maintaining its delicate aesthetic. The general contractor, Sun and Sea Advertising L.L.C., managed the complex installation process within the active museum environment. Every element was precision-engineered to create the desired shadow effects without compromising visitor safety or the museum's operations.

The pavilion offers visitors a multi-sensory experience that complements the Louvre Abu Dhabi's mission of bridging cultures through art. As people move through the space, their own shadows merge with those created by the architectural elements, making them active participants in the artwork. This interactive quality reflects contemporary trends in immersive art installations while respecting the museum's sophisticated architectural context. The project demonstrates how temporary structures can enhance permanent cultural institutions without overwhelming their existing design language.

Art Here 2025 marks the third edition of this biennial event, which has become a major platform for emerging and mid-career artists in the Gulf region. The success of "Choreography of a Cloud" suggests a bright future for architectural competitions that blur the boundaries between art and building design. After the exhibition closes at the end of December, the pavilion will be disassembled, though documentation and models may be preserved for future study. The project establishes a new benchmark for how architectural installations can respond to both specific sites and universal themes like light and shadow.