• Audiences can experience Louvre Abu Dhabi’s collection through music in a series of playlists hand-selected by anghami’s curators
• The first seven playlists can be streamed from louvreabudhabi.ae, anghami.com, or anghami’s app
Abu Dhabi, 17 May 2020: Louvre Abu Dhabi, in partnership with anghami, the MENA region’s largest music streaming app, launched the first playlists of a series starting their new collaboration Louvre Abu Dhabi x anghami. The partnership will see the curation of audio playlists with a bespoke selection of soundtracks that respond to different themes, moods and inspirations found in Louvre Abu Dhabi’s collections.
“Our partnership with anghami is a testament to our ongoing engagement with the creative industry in the region. The playlists offer a new and innovative dimension for audiences to experience Louvre Abu Dhabi’s collection through the universal language of music,” said Manuel Rabaté, Director of Louvre Abu Dhabi. “We are excited to expand our digital offering to feature not just visual art, but also other forms of culture that offer different perspectives, new discoveries and inspiring encounters with human creativity. These kinds of initiatives showcase the brilliant work conducted by our interpretation and cultural programming teams behind the scenes to keep our audiences engaged at a time when they cannot physically access the museum. We will also be launching additional audio experiences of our museum to stay connected with audiences wherever they are in the world and continue telling stories of cultural connections,” he added.
To create the right experience through music, Anghami’s team of curators conducted deep-dive research to collect the sounds that resonate with the artworks on display at Louvre Abu Dhabi. The research resulted in a variety of music choices that also depicts how sound evolved throughout the years. Each of the seven created playlists contains 20-30 tracks, hand selected by anghami’s curators. The playlists feature a range of different music genres, mirroring moods and artworks from Louvre Abu Dhabi’s galleries, re-interpreting the experience of visiting the museum through music.
“Our focus at anghami has always been to support our community across the MENA region, especially around nurturing the world of arts,” said Elie Abou Saleh, Vice President for the GCC Market at anghami. “Our partnership with Louvre Abu Dhabi is a further step in that direction. Both teams have worked closely to use the power of sound to transport listeners into a journey of time, divided across the centuries, in a similar manner to what one might experience visually while visiting Louvre Abu Dhabi,” he added.
The first seven playlists include the series A Journey Through Civilisations, featuring world music tracks, Contemplative Vibes, allowing listeners to relax and unwind with a selection of alternative and chill-out tracks, Eternal Classics, a selection of classical music, Louvre Abu Dhabi Collabs., featuring tracks by artists that have collaborated with the museum, Electro Pulse, featuring electro and rock music, Colourful Rhythms, a joyful and uplifting playlist, as well as Family Times, which includes cross generational tracks.
Louvre Abu Dhabi x anghami playlists are accessible through Louvre Abu Dhabi’s and anghami’s websites and anghami’s mobile app, which can be downloaded from App Store and Google Play. Users can access Louvre Abu Dhabi’s playlists on anghami for free once they have logged in.
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ABOUT LOUVRE ABU DHABI
Created by an exceptional agreement between the governments of Abu Dhabi and France, Louvre Abu Dhabi was designed by Jean Nouvel and opened on Saadiyat Island in November 2017. The museum is inspired by traditional Islamic architecture and its monumental dome creates a rain of light effect and a unique social space that brings people together. Louvre Abu Dhabi celebrates the universal creativity of mankind and invites audiences to see humanity in a new light. Through its innovative curatorial approach, the museum focuses on building understanding across cultures: through stories of human creativity that transcend civilisations, geographies and times. The museum’s growing collection is unparalleled in the region and spans thousands of years of human history, including prehistoric tools, artefacts, religious texts, iconic paintings and contemporary artworks. The permanent collection is supplemented by rotating loans from 13 French partner institutions, regional and international museums. Louvre Abu Dhabi is a testing ground for new ideas in a globalised world and champions new generations of cultural leaders. Its international exhibitions, programming and Children’s Museum are inclusive platforms that connect communities and offer enjoyment for all.
ABOUT ANGHAMI
Anghami is an on-demand audio streaming service in the Middle East, giving more than 80 million users access to a wide variety of Arabic and International songs as well as podcasts. Like many music streaming services worldwide, Anghami plays a major role in elevating the value of the music industry, flipping the funnel from a declining revenue market to a fast growing market that has shifted from a content owned (downloaded and purchased) to a content stream industry, driven by its mission to scale access to legal content where artists and podcasters are remunerated for their streams.
ABOUT MUSÉE DU LOUVRE
The Louvre in Paris opened in 1793, during the French Revolution, and from the very beginning was intended to provide inspiration for contemporary art. Courbet, Picasso, Dalí and so many others came to its hallowed halls to admire the old masters, copy them, immerse themselves in masterpieces and improve and fuel their own art. As an ancient royal residence, the Louvre is inextricably linked to eight centuries of French history. As a universal museum, its collections, among the best in the world, span many millennia and miles, from the Americas to Asia. Over 38,000 artworks are grouped into eight curatorial departments, including universally admired works such as the Mona Lisa, the Winged Victory of Samothrace and the Venus de Milo. With 9.6 million guests in 2019, the Louvre is the most visited museum in the world. Open since 2012, the Islamic Art Department of the Louvre presents more than 3,000 objects, spanning 1,300 years of history and three continents, from Spain to Southeast Asia.
ABOUT SAADIYAT CULTURAL DISTRICT
Saadiyat Cultural District on Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, is devoted to culture and the arts. An ambitious cultural undertaking for the 21st century, it will be a nucleus for global culture, attracting local, regional and international guests with unique exhibitions, permanent collections, productions and performances. Its groundbreaking buildings will form a historical statement of the finest 21st century architecture; Zayed National Museum, Louvre Abu Dhabi and Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. These museums will complement and collaborate with local and regional arts and cultural institutions including universities and research centres.
ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT OF CULTURE AND TOURISM – ABU DHABI
The Department of Culture and Tourism conserves and promotes the heritage and culture of Abu Dhabi emirate and leverages them in the development of a world-class, sustainable destination of distinction, which enriches the lives of visitors and residents alike. The organisation manages the emirate’s tourism sector and markets the destination internationally through a wide range of activities aimed at attracting visitors and investment. Its policies, plans and programmes relate to the preservation of heritage and culture, including protecting archaeological and historical sites and to developing museums, including Zayed National Museum, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, and Louvre Abu Dhabi. DCT Abu Dhabi supports intellectual and artistic activities and cultural events to nurture a rich cultural environment and honour the emirate’s heritage. A key role is to create synergy in the destination’s development through
close coordination with its wide-ranging stakeholder base.
