UAE History Interactive
I want to create an interactive piece that shows the transformation of the UAE the same way my grandpa used to describe it to me. When he talked about his childhood, he always used to say, “Everything was sand… everything was quiet,” and it honestly shocked me how different life was back then. We grow up surrounded by skyscrapers, malls, lights, and busy streets, and sometimes we forget that underneath all of this was once nothing but desert, small fishing villages, and long stretches of empty land. I want this project to make people feel that transition not just see it.
I’m going to create a set of images using generative AI: first, an empty desert with soft, muted colors, representing the UAE before development. Then, a second stage with small hints of growth, old houses, dhow boats, maybe the beginnings of trade and community. And finally, a fully developed UAE today: bright, modern, busy, full of life. These images will live inside my P5 sketch, and as the user interacts with the physical object, the scene will change smoothly from past to present. It’s almost like time is responding to their touch.
The interaction will come from the Arduino. I want to use one simple input — probably a pressure sensor or something that can “feel” how much the user is pressing. The Arduino will read how soft or strong the touch is, like it’s sensing the user’s curiosity. Light pressure will show the early UAE, the untouched sand dunes. A little more pressure will reveal the beginning of development. And a stronger press will bring the scene into the modern UAE we know now. It’s not about force it’s about guiding the story. The sensor becomes like a storyteller’s tool, the thing that decides which chapter you’re seeing.
I also want the Arduino to do something small in the real world, so it feels alive on both sides. Maybe a soft LED that glows brighter as the UAE “grows,” or a tiny sound from a buzzer that plays a subtle tone when the country reaches the modern stage almost like the present humming with life. But nothing loud, nothing dramatic, just small hints of the past and present waking up.
This whole idea is about honoring heritage and culture through interaction. When my grandpa tells stories, I always feel this warm, emotional contrast between the silence of the old desert and the energy of the city today. I want my project to recreate that feeling the quiet beginning, the slow growth, and the incredible transformation. Not as a history lesson, but as an emotional journey. A way to let people travel through the UAE’s story just by placing their hand on a simple sensor, turning their touch into a timeline. It’s simple, but I want it to feel meaningful.