Anooki Characters in Education City

Qatar Foundation is being transformed into a night-time playground for two Inuit-inspired characters with a serious message to send about the importance of protecting our planet - The Anooki.

The Anooki’s artistic light event in Education City comprises an 8-minute video mapping light show illuminating Penrose House (LAS Building). In addition, six-meter-high inflatable Anooki characters will be installed around various Education City buildings.

The Anooki will be in place from February 16-21 with pre-registered tours available to the public via the Education City App, and a series of precautionary measures being taken to ensure those who book can experience the installation while adhering to Qatar’s COVID-19 health guidelines.

The characters were brought to life by French designers David Passegand and Moetu Batlle, who initially based them on themselves and see The Anooki’s visit to Education City as a perfect fit, with sustainability – and engaging and empowering people to make it part of their lives – being at the core of QF’s mission. Explaining the journey of the two characters, Passegand said: “Their house was melted by global warming, so now they run around the world and discover different cities. “Everywhere they go, because they are joyful and full of hope, they play. Every new place is like a new playground – it’s a game, but a game inspired by the issue of global warming. It’s a fun and accessible way of telling the story about global warming and climate change issues. “We want people to have fun, but to understand that our planet is fragile. The way we built the Anooki, and the inflatables – because of the materials we used – are also fragile, and this represents the fragility of our world.” Hisham Nourin, Executive Director of Strategy, Administration and Projects, QF Community Development, said: “Throughout Qatar Foundation, we aim to encourage people to make sustainability part of their lives, by heightening understanding of what it means for our societies and our future, and recognition of how everyone can contribute to a more sustainable world.

Guided tours will take place every 20 minutes between 6pm-11pm on each day of The Anooki’s stay at QF, with each timeslot being open to no more than 60 people, a maximum of 15 people allowed on each guided tour, and social distancing measures in place. All attendees must wear a face mask at all times and display a green status on their Ehteraz app, and will have their temperature taken before joining a tour. To attend, members of the community must pre-register through the newly-launched Education City App, which is available to download for free from Google Play and the Apple Store.