Willem Dafoe narrates podcast for Louvre Abu Dhabi

Those starved for a bit of art and culture in their lives, look no further than the Louvre Abu Dhabi to get your fix (without having to visit the museum, of course).

The Louvre Abu Dhabi has released a 20-minute cinematic podcast entitled ‘We Are Not Alone’ that features the voices of global stars such as Hussain Al Jassmi, Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg.

Composed and produced by Soundwalk Collective, an experimental group of artists and musicians, this podcast invites audiences to discover Louvre Abu Dhabi’s unique architecture through a science-fiction narrative.

The eerie and atmospheric audio clip is accompanied by a short film that reimagines the museum as the backdrop to a story that takes place in a post-human galaxy thousands of years in the future.

The tale is narrated in Arabic by Emirati singer Al Jassmi, in English by American actor Dafoe, in French and English by actress and singer Gainsbourg, in Mandarin by Chinese actress Zhou Dongyu, in Russian by DJ, singer and producer Nina Kraviz, and German by filmmaker and playwright Wim Wenders.

‘We Are Not Alone’ is available on Louvre Abu Dhabi’s website.

The podcast is one of many activities and experiences organised by the Louvre Abu Dhabi while they continue to be closed to visitors during the pandemic.

One such online experience is a weekly Spoken Art segment that features spoken word artists who have performed at Louvre Abu Dhabi. They will recite pieces based on the museum’s galleries or its architecture as well as themes of hope, resilience and togetherness.

If music is more your thing, the Louvre Abu Dhabi, in partnership with streaming service anghami, has launched the first playlists of a series starting their collaboration — Louvre Abu Dhabi x anghami.

The curated playlists help experience the museum’s collection in a different way. Inspired by the museum’s masterpieces, the tracks feature a range of eclectic music genres.

For the full range of online activities, go online.