Dr Ahmad AlAttar's 'Human in the Loop' at 421 Arts Campus

Dr Ahmad AlAttar, a robotics engineer at the Dubai Future Foundation, presents his largest and most complex installation to date, 'Human in the Loop' (2026), at 421 Arts Campus in Abu Dhabi. The interactive work features 54 ropes hanging in a six-by-nine grid, each connected to hidden spring mechanisms and wireless routers. Visitors pull the ropes to locate a hidden algorithm that emits digital crunching sounds; once found, the algorithm relocates, creating an endless game of hide-and-seek. AlAttar describes the piece as a metaphor for mindless social media scrolling, noting that the natural birdsong playing in the room is easily filtered out during the pursuit. The title references the concept of a human in the loop in computing, but also signifies a person caught in a repetitive act. AlAttar, known for blending technology with cultural heritage, previously presented 'Moss-Behaving' (2025) at Mondoir Gallery and 'Sadu Bonanza' (2025) at Art in Space as part of the Merely Random exhibition. He aims to create 'phygital' experiences that merge digital and physical worlds, often connecting tech to childhood or culture. The artist experimented with ChatGPT in the code but found it unreliable, so he reverted to hard-coded algorithms. He hopes to incorporate pure AI in future iterations, allowing the algorithm to learn from visitors' movements. The exhibition runs until 13 September at 421 Arts Campus.