Louvre Abu Dhabi launches sci-fi podcast 'We Are Not Alone' with Soundwalk Collective
The Louvre Abu Dhabi has launched 'We Are Not Alone,' a science fiction podcast and short film produced by the Soundwalk Collective, a New York-based group founded in 2000. The project invites audiences to explore the museum's architecture through a futuristic narrative set after human extinction, based on an original script by Stéphan Crasneanscki and incorporating the geometric design of Jean Nouvel. Six celebrity narrators voice the story in different languages: Hussain Al Jassmi (Arabic), Willem Dafoe (English), Charlotte Gainsbourg (French and English), Zhou Dongyu (Mandarin), Nina Kraviz (Russian), and Wim Wenders (German). The initiative reflects the museum's digital expansion, as noted by HE Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, who emphasized museums' role in fostering optimism. The podcast is available on the Louvre Abu Dhabi website.
Key facts
- Louvre Abu Dhabi launched 'We Are Not Alone' podcast and short film.
- Produced by Soundwalk Collective, founded in New York in 2000.
- Script by Stéphan Crasneanscki based on Jean Nouvel's architectural geometry.
- Six narrators: Hussain Al Jassmi, Willem Dafoe, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Zhou Dongyu, Nina Kraviz, Wim Wenders.
- Narrators speak Arabic, English, French, Mandarin, Russian, German.
- Story set in a future after human extinction.
- HE Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak commented on the project.
- Available at louvreabudhabi.ae/en/Whats-Online/we-are-not-alone.
Entities
Artists
- Soundwalk Collective
- Stéphan Crasneanscki
- Jean Nouvel
- Hussain Al Jassmi
- Willem Dafoe
- Charlotte Gainsbourg
- Zhou Dongyu
- Nina Kraviz
- Wim Wenders
- Patti Smith
- Mulatu Astatke
- Nan Goldin
- Jean-Luc Godard
- Sasha Waltz
- David Zwirner
- Emmanuel Perrotin
Institutions
- Louvre Abu Dhabi
- Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi
- Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery
- Artribune
Locations
- Abu Dhabi
- United Arab Emirates
- New York
- Washington