The teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi project belongs to teamLab, an international art collective founded in 2001 in Tokyo that features artists, programmers, engineers, CG animators, mathematicians, and architects. The Phenomena project is developed in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT) and Miral, Abu Dhabi-based company specialising in creating immersive destinations and experiences.
Situated on Saadiyat Island, the teamLab Phenomena is a multi-sensory immersive art venue planned to be completed in 2024. With its smooth surfaces and flowing lines, this 17,000 sqm “home to infinite curiosity” is a place where art, nature, science, and technology meet and create a breathtaking dream-like reality for visitors to dive in. They are invited to explore teamLab’s mesmerising art pieces on view, constantly transforming interactive installations exclusive to Abu Dhabi, which are based on the collective’s concept of environmental phenomena. As Toshiyuki Inoko, Founder of teamLab, explains, such elements as air, water, and light are transformed by their environment into different phenomena that become artworks.
Designed by teamLab and realised by MZ Architects, an architectural and engineering consultancy firm in Abu Dhabi, the teamLab Phenomena’s building allows the artworks to develop naturally and freely like living organisms. It is a huge cavernous structure with an open staircase; numerous large halls on the building’s surfaces create various façade configurations as the building flows.
“The future is built upon the grand sum of people’s creations. Curiosity drives people towards a deeper understanding of the world and leads to creativity. […] Imagination decides the direction of this creativity. [We hope that] teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi will create opportunities for curiosity and imagination to be born,” Inoko says.
Speaking about the upcoming art venue, DCT Abu Dhabi’s Chairman Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak said that the Phenomena is about the concepts of discovery, imagination, and curiosity: the building blocks of a flourishing human being. It pushes one to take in all of everything that they have seen, to celebrate their imagination and curiosity, and then discover the world ahead of them. He also added that the teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi which provides a journey triggering the senses and awakens a thirst for knowledge supports Abu Dhabi’s commitment to inspire a new generation of innovators and creators.
To learn more about the teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi, please visit the project’s official web page.
You might also be interested in reading about two other architectural projects which are quite impressive: Dubai Urban Tech District and Expo City Dubai.
