The Dubai Kite Beach art installation everyone is talking about this week is a giant digital mosaic heart, and it is made entirely of real faces of people who live and work in this city. Called “We Love Dubai,” the display is interactive, completely free, and it ends on April 12. If you have not been yet, you have days, not weeks.
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What the Dubai Kite Beach Art Installation Actually Is
The Dubai Kite Beach art installation is a large digital screen set up directly on the beachfront. As you walk toward it, a mosaic of faces becomes visible, all of them arranged into the shape of an animated heart on the display. Every single square in that mosaic is a real person, captured through a selfie taken at the installation itself.
The concept is completely crowd-sourced. You walk up, take a selfie on the spot, and your face gets added to the heart in real time. No app, no QR code, no sign-up. You just show up and become part of it.
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The Team Who Made It Happen
The project was co-created by Dorothee Anjos, CEO of Multilem, a creative technology company. She joined The Agenda to talk through the idea and explain how the technology works in practice.
The installation was designed to be something anyone at Kite Beach could actually participate in, not just observe. The central theme is unity and diversity, specifically the community that makes up Dubai as a city. With one of the most internationally diverse populations anywhere in the world, Dubai has no shortage of faces worth putting in that heart.
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When, Where, and What to Expect
Location: Kite Beach, Dubai Runs until: April 12, 2025 Cost: Free, no registration required
The installation is fully outdoors and accessible to anyone walking the beach. You do not need to book anything or download anything. Walk up, take your selfie at the designated spot, and watch yourself appear on the screen as part of the mosaic. The heart animates as new faces get added, so the display is constantly changing.
Why This Is Worth Going Out of Your Way For
Kite Beach is already one of the most-visited spots in the city. This gives you a specific, time-sensitive reason to go this week. Public art with a real interactive element this straightforward is genuinely rare. Most installations are look-only. This one puts you inside it.
For long-time Dubai residents and newcomers alike, it is a visually striking way to see the city’s diversity represented in one frame. And your face gets a permanent square in that heart, at least until April 12.
What to Know Before You Go
- The installation is free and open to the public
- No prior registration or app required
- Your selfie is added to the mosaic in real time
- The display is animated and updates as new faces are added
- Only available until April 12, 2025
- Kite Beach is easily accessible by car and has ample parking nearby
Who Is Dorothee Anjos?
Dorothee Anjos is the CEO of Multilem, a creative technology company that specialises in large-scale interactive digital experiences. She co-created the “We Love Dubai” installation and has been involved in public-facing tech art projects that center on community participation. Multilem’s work focuses on digital media and public space, and this Kite Beach project is one of their most visible activations in the UAE to date.
Final Word
“We Love Dubai” is one of the more genuinely well-executed public art ideas the city has seen in a while. A mosaic heart made of real people, on one of Dubai’s most iconic beaches, open to literally anyone who walks past. It ends April 12. That is very soon. Go.
Cover Image: @kitebeachdubai/Instagram
