Yas Island Public Art, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Spaceagency has designed a new welcome signage art strategy for Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, signifying to drivers approaching from Dubai and downtown Abu Dhabi that they are about to cross to Yas Island. As an iconic piece of urban branding and identity, Spaceagency design 2 types for freestanding sculptures.

The key objective was to mark the arrival on Yas Island coming from Abu Dhabi downtown or from Dubai. Given the heavily trafficked and non-descript location on a 10-lane highway, a bold and visually significant intervention was required to create a recognizable and iconic structure.

Studying the visual identity of the island and the architectural language of Abu Dhabi, we designed 1 types of gateway signage, both based on the concept of velocity and kinetic envelopes, referring to Yas Island’s F1 circuit and the strokes of traditional calligraphy and to create a fluid and modern sculpture.

Both sculptures are coated with iridescent chromatic paint and create a new highly visible identity and a landmark for the visitors crossing onto the island.

Night-time visibility was another primary objective and a bespoke lighting design was conceived to articulate the features and ensure visibility of the sculptures during the hours of darkness.