Arab Well of Hope

Water scarcity is an invisible crisis — until you make people feel it. A custom interactive installation toured the UAE, letting participants physically pump water while a live system visualised their impact in real time. 459 million people reached. 845% increase in awareness. $13K media spend.

Interactive InstallationCSRPhygital

Services

Experience Design
Hardware Engineering
Software Development
Touring Installation Management

Tech Stack

Node.js
Microcontroller Integration
Custom Pump Mechanism
Real-time Data Visualisation

Client

Awqaf and Minors Affairs Foundation

Timeline

8 weeks

Year

2019

01 / Challenge

Reinventing Portrait Experiences

Millions of people struggle daily to access clean water, yet the issue remained largely abstract for UAE audiences. The campaign needed to convert awareness into something visceral — something participants could physically experience and emotionally connect with, not simply scroll past.

02 / Idea

An Artist Powered by AI and Robotics

As MediaMonks' regional implementation partner, PXL+ developed a touring outdoor kiosk featuring a physical hand pump mechanism. The act of pumping was the experience — every effort translated directly into a visualised water collection on a live display, making the labour of water access tangible for anyone who participated.

03 / Execution

From Selfie to Physical Art

PXL+ engineered and deployed the custom-built outdoor kiosk for a UAE-wide tour. The installation featured a physical pump connected to a real-time Node.js application integrated with microcontroller inputs, with synchronised visualisation feedback for each participant. The experience was robust enough for outdoor conditions and scalable across all UAE government agency locations.

04 / Results

Personalized Art at Scale

The campaign reached 459 million people on a media spend of just USD 13K — with water scarcity awareness in the Middle East increasing by 845%. UAE brands pledged funding for 150 wells (USD 3M equivalent). The Awqaf Foundation established a lifelong endowment providing clean water to 600,000 beneficiaries annually.

Results