When Fatma Lootah first walked into Al Wasl Plaza, during Expo 2020 Dubai, she looked up to the dome and, as much as its retro-yet-futuristic aesthetics struck her with awe, she felt a sense of clarity and warmth.

Now, with her artwork, Noor ‘Ala Noor, Arabic for Light Upon Light, she seeks to instil in others the same feelings.

The installation is a centrepiece of the second Dhai Dubai – the light art exhibition taking place at Expo City until November 19 – and marks the first time an Emirati artist has used the landmark Al Wasl Plaza as a canvas for their work.

The work is the festival’s largest to date. It is, in some way, a striking statement of intent as Expo City Dubai prepares to enter a new phase with the introduction of a permanent arts space.

An installation by Fatma Lootah shows olive trees and other projections inspired by Surah An-Nur. Antonie Robertson/The National

Projected across the interior of the dome’s full 130-metre span, Noor ‘Ala Noor draws inspiration from verse 35 of Surah An-Nur. The verse describes divine light through a series of metaphors, including that of a radiant lamp enclosed in glass and illuminated by the oil of an olive tree.

Lootah presents this imagery within the work. The projections show olive trees rustling vibrantly against the dome’s lattice-like steel framework, oil dripping in large droplets and clouds breaking apart to reveal streaks of sunlight.

“My work usually has this point of light that I look for and try to pass on to other people,” she says. “This verse is one of the most beautiful and instils this light. All its details, its imagery fills the heart.”

While the dome’s design and advanced technology have often been used to deliver spectacle, from ceremonies to large-scale performances during Expo 2020 Dubai, Noor ‘Ala Noor takes its innovative composition in another direction.

The scale of the art installation isn’t overwhelming; instead it seeks to address viewers individually. Even when experienced collectively, it prompts stillness and awe, striking a self-reflective cord. The work’s soundscape goes a long way in achieving this, gliding from atmospheric washes of sound to more epic timbres with lilts and frequencies inspired by the phonetics of Surah An-Nur. It concludes by showing the verses projected on the dome.

Lootah is one of the seven Emirati artists exhib