Grand Opening of the Qatar National Library

On 16 April 2018, the Qatar National Library (QNL) opened in Doha, the first national library to open its doors in the 21st century. A place that not only houses texts thousands of years old but is also equipped with the latest technologies. An institution that is intended not only to serve as a curator for the spiritual heritage of the region but also as a communal space for the people of Qatar. This was to be communicated in a major opening show as well as an accompanying marketing campaign.

FischerAppelt developed the guiding idea of “Light is knowledge” for this purpose, which was to be brought to life with a wide variety of elements. From a 70-metre-long LED carpet with a journey through Qatar and CGI animation videos for social media communication through to the highlight, an opening show with light artists and music composed especially. An important aspect of the opening event was to respect the architecture of the building. The stage was therefore positioned in the middle of the library and the sides were staged as “digital bookshelves”. The musicians from the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra who accompanied the evening live were positioned on different levels between the shelves. A 60-minute stage programme combined three films with short speeches. Tradition and modernity were thus to be combined in a harmonious balance.