Mark Fuller’s Water Birds set to bring a new dimension to water performances in UAE

The engineer and founder of WET, Mark Fuller, is set to revolutionize water performances in the UAE with a new generation of autonomous Water Birds. This innovative installation, which will debut at the UAE’s National Museum, aims to transform a lake into a dynamic stage where water, movement, robotics, music, and choreography converge.

Unlike conventional fountains, the Water Birds are designed to move independently through the water, each capable of traveling across and beneath the lake according to a programmed choreography. Their long, curved necks can rise above the surface, spraying water while their articulated wings extend and move, creating broad patterns that suggest birds taking flight.

The birds do not leave the lake; rather, their movement, water effects, and coordinated choreography create the illusion of them floating and flying across the water's surface. The system also enables the Water Birds to interact as a group, with each performer able to determine the location of the others, allowing multiple birds to gather, separate, and move in synchronized formations.

An individual bird can follow a unique path across the lake while others perform together, and then the group reunites. The result is a water performance where the location of the spectacle itself becomes part of the choreography.