Museum culture is not part of UAE culture. Even when UAE citizens travel to museum cities like Paris, London or New York, they’re not motivated to visit these cities acclaimed art collections.

Because of its novelty, and it’s ‘first in the region’ appeal, Louvre Abu Dhabi’s grand opening successfully attracted visitors. But soon after, the museum became another landmark for tourists to visit, not a place for residents to continuously return to for inspiration or entertainment.

How could we convince local audiences/non-museum-goers that art and museums are far from outdated and boring, they’re actually fascinating and full of stories everyone can enjoy?

We set out to prove Louvre Abu Dhabi isn’t a traditional – or predictable – museum.

They say billboards are dead. They say radio is dead. But, they also say an average of 12,000 people commute every day between Dubai and Abu Dhabi. They all pay attention to the landscape, and most of them listen to the radio. A perfect opportunity for local disruption.

Coupling creativity with technology, we merged billboards and radio – two ‘outdated’ media –into one innovative experience: 'Louvre Abu Dhabi Highway Gallery'.

As commuters drove down the E11, they encountered Louvre Abu Dhabi’s masterpieces like never before: on 9-metre-high billboards outside their windows and through 30-second stories of each artwork on their radios.

The museum's Top 10 masterpieces were reproduced in giant frames and placed along the highway. For each artwork, a special FM transmitter powered by solar panels was installed. And in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Municipality, the UAE's top three radio stations allowed us to hijack their frequencies. When drivers approached a billboard, the artwork's FM device synchronized and intercepted their car radios, triggering the Louvre Abu Dhabi museum audio guide. Instantly, a story about the piece would broadcast through their speakers.