Abu Dhabi: A new “multi-sensory art space”, teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi, is now 70 per cent complete, it was revealed on Wednesday.
The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), Miral and teamLab made the announcement about the completion of 70 per cent of the overall 17,000 square metres of gross floor area (GFA). The reinforced concrete structure is fully complete, further to the construction of the artwork spaces.
The upcoming attraction at Saadiyat Cultural District will house large-scale immersive artwork spaces created by Tokyo-based art collective teamLab.
The teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi will feature constantly transforming artistic installations that will be unique to Abu Dhabi. These have been designed based on teamLab’s concept of Environmental Phenomena, created through an extensive experimentation process.
The architecture of teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi, which was conceptualised and designed by teamLab Architects, will play an important role in providing the artworks with an environment to evolve “freely and organically”. As part of teamLab’s new concept, Environmental Phenomena, the architecture for teamLab Phenomena has been designed both from the inside out and the outside in, creating a structure that envelops various environments.
Jonathan Brown, Chief Portfolio Officer of Miral, said: “Together with our partners, Miral’s vision for developing teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi is to provide a captivating cultural journey that brings a new realm of educational exploration and creative discovery to the emirate. The curated, experiential space will add yet another outstanding experience to Miral’s portfolio of world-class experiences and attractions, appealing to visitors from across the globe.”
Toshiyuki Inoko, founder of teamLab, said: “A key characteristic of teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi is the environment and the various phenomena created by it. The environment stabilises the structure of these phenomena, and the stabilised phenomena become the artworks themselves. In other words, unlike stones or man-made creations that can maintain a stable structure on their own, the artworks at teamLab Phenomena do not exist independently, but are dependent on their environment.”
Inoko explained: “Even if people break the work apart, the work will remain in existence, as long as its environment is maintained. On the contrary, the work will disappear if the environment is not maintained. In time, people’s consciousness will expand to include the environment. A stone can continue to exist in a closed box, sealed off from the outside world, but life cannot sustain its existence in such a box. Life is a miraculous phenomenon that emerges from a flow in a continuous world.”
