Latest news with #MZArchitects
Time Out Abu Dhabi
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out Abu Dhabi
teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi is now open
Swap your weekend plans for an immersive exhibition at teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi, which recently opened its doors on Saadiyat Island. The venue itself is no ordinary gallery. It's a contemporary space where light, water, movement and sound all respond to you. So trust us when we say it's going to take your breath away. Designed by MZ Architects and teamLab Architects, it spans a cool 17,000sqm and is divided into two areas: Wet and Dry. The Wet area simply takes interactivity up a notch, while the Dry area plays with motion and light in ways that quietly rewire how you think about art. In both areas, you can expect mesmerising visuals taking the shape of landscapes and interactive installations. Open daily, general admission is priced at Dhs150 for adults, Dhs115 for youths (ages 13-17) and Dhs50 for kids aged 4 to 12. Officially inaugurated on Thursday April 17, by His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the experience was launched with nothing less than the grandeur such a venue warrants. Guests were serenaded by an original composition by Italian pianist and composer Ludovico Einaudi under a sky full of 6,300 drones, all dancing in sync over the futuristic façade of the building. The spectacle marked the largest drone show staged in the GCC. It set the tone for what teamLab Phenomena is about, moments that feel both otherworldly and intensely personal. What you should expect is organised chaos, the idea that art, environment and audience are constantly in conversation. So no two visits will feel the same. Touch something and it might ripple. Walk a certain way and a wave of colour could follow. Whether you're going solo, with the bunch, or dragging along the entire family, there's something about the space that pulls everyone in. So if you're after a cultural experience that's as three-dimensional as it can get, teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi might be exactly your speed. Open daily 10am-7pm. Saadiyat Island, Saadiyat Cultural District, (600 565566).
CNN
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Where art, tech and nature collide: teamLab opens an immersive new experience in Abu Dhabi
Prev Next Known for its boundary-pushing works at the intersection of art, technology and nature, art collective teamLab has added to its exhibitions in Japan, Saudi Arabia and China with a new multi-sensory museum in the United Arab Emirates. Walking up to teamLab Phenomena, in Abu Dhabi's Saadiyat Cultural District, you're met with an enormous white building with an amorphous form that's difficult to characterize. 'We came up with this shape that people cannot define, and that's what makes it curious for people,' says Tony Abi Gebrayel, managing partner of MZ Architects, the local firm that partnered with teamLab on the exterior architecture. Its brilliant-white façade is made up of myriad panels — no two alike — adding to the 17,000-square-meter (183,000-feet) building's organic and asymmetrical feel. Entering through the doors into a darkened reception, your eyes take a second to adjust to the extreme contrast to the bright white outside. The darkness is meant to heighten your senses for what awaits inside — a collection of 25 interactive digital art exhibits. The museum is divided into two zones: dry and wet. In many of the dry areas, the floor of the exhibits undulates, because, says teamLab's principal interior architect Shogo Kawata, the soles of our feet aren't flat, and are therefore more suited to walk across organic shapes than even surface. Doing so can bring visitors closer to nature, he says. In the wet zones, shoes and socks are removed and trousers rolled up, as guests move through areas flooded with shallow water. Walking through one exhibit, the water level rises and falls, changing your proximity to the digitally projected artworks. Moving around the museum is an experience in itself. Light projections on the floors and walls react to your movements and presence, and reaching out to touch the installations feels playful and thought-provoking. Entering one exhibit in the wet area, you're met with an earthy, organic smell from the water. 'Floating Microcosms' is a collection of unanchored soft sculptures — or 'Ovoids' — bobbing in ankle-deep water. Wading around can create waves which topple these Ovoids, and they fall over, only to rise again, emanating different colored lights and sound tones. The Ovoids can also be pushed over and moved around by visitors, so the exhibit is constantly transformed. Kawata wants visitors to have 'physical experiences — to smell and touch things' and to 'take home the feeling they had visiting this space.' In 'Wind Form,' lights projected on the uneven ground and walls are meant to replicate the movement of wind. Moving through, the artwork reacts to you, as if you are blocking the natural passage of a breeze; the lights stop where your feet touch the ground, and you can see the ripples of this change spread over the walls around you. Toshiyuki Inoko is one of the founders of teamLab. Established in 2001 in Japan, the international collective comprises artists, architects and tech specialists, with a mission to help visitors to move beyond perceived boundaries of the world by experiencing their art. Inoko says that it is an honor to have his museum open amongst the other landmarks in Saadiyat Cultural District — already well-established locations like the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the Manarat Al Saadiyat gallery, as well as many currently in development, such as the Guggenheim, the Zayed National Museum, and the Natural History Museum. He hopes that by engaging with the exhibits and seeing them react to their presencevisitors take away a new 'connection with themselves and with the environment itself.'
CNN
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Where art, tech and nature collide: teamLab opens an immersive new experience in Abu Dhabi
Prev Next Known for its boundary-pushing works at the intersection of art, technology and nature, art collective teamLab has added to its exhibitions in Japan, Saudi Arabia and China with a new multi-sensory museum in the United Arab Emirates. Walking up to teamLab Phenomena, in Abu Dhabi's Saadiyat Cultural District, you're met with an enormous white building with an amorphous form that's difficult to characterize. 'We came up with this shape that people cannot define, and that's what makes it curious for people,' says Tony Abi Gebrayel, managing partner of MZ Architects, the local firm that partnered with teamLab on the exterior architecture. Its brilliant-white façade is made up of myriad panels — no two alike — adding to the 17,000-square-meter (183,000-feet) building's organic and asymmetrical feel. Entering through the doors into a darkened reception, your eyes take a second to adjust to the extreme contrast to the bright white outside. The darkness is meant to heighten your senses for what awaits inside — a collection of 25 interactive digital art exhibits. The museum is divided into two zones: dry and wet. In many of the dry areas, the floor of the exhibits undulates, because, says teamLab's principal interior architect Shogo Kawata, the soles of our feet aren't flat, and are therefore more suited to walk across organic shapes than even surface. Doing so can bring visitors closer to nature, he says. In the wet zones, shoes and socks are removed and trousers rolled up, as guests move through areas flooded with shallow water. Walking through one exhibit, the water level rises and falls, changing your proximity to the digitally projected artworks. Moving around the museum is an experience in itself. Light projections on the floors and walls react to your movements and presence, and reaching out to touch the installations feels playful and thought-provoking. Entering one exhibit in the wet area, you're met with an earthy, organic smell from the water. 'Floating Microcosms' is a collection of unanchored soft sculptures — or 'Ovoids' — bobbing in ankle-deep water. Wading around can create waves which topple these Ovoids, and they fall over, only to rise again, emanating different colored lights and sound tones. The Ovoids can also be pushed over and moved around by visitors, so the exhibit is constantly transformed. Kawata wants visitors to have 'physical experiences — to smell and touch things' and to 'take home the feeling they had visiting this space.' In 'Wind Form,' lights projected on the uneven ground and walls are meant to replicate the movement of wind. Moving through, the artwork reacts to you, as if you are blocking the natural passage of a breeze; the lights stop where your feet touch the ground, and you can see the ripples of this change spread over the walls around you. Toshiyuki Inoko is one of the founders of teamLab. Established in 2001 in Japan, the international collective comprises artists, architects and tech specialists, with a mission to help visitors to move beyond perceived boundaries of the world by experiencing their art. Inoko says that it is an honor to have his museum open amongst the other landmarks in Saadiyat Cultural District — already well-established locations like the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the Manarat Al Saadiyat gallery, as well as many currently in development, such as the Guggenheim, the Zayed National Museum, and the Natural History Museum. He hopes that by engaging with the exhibits and seeing them react to their presencevisitors take away a new 'connection with themselves and with the environment itself.'
CairoScene
26-02-2025
- Science
- CairoScene
teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi Opens in April With Transformative Art
The 17,000 sqm venue will introduce immersive installations where art shifts in response to natural elements. Feb 25, 2025 teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi will open on April 18th, 2025, in the Saadiyat Cultural District. The 17,000 sqm, operated by Miral Experiences, will introduce immersive installations where art shifts and evolves in response to natural elements. Light, sound, and movement shape each exhibit, ensuring that no two visits are the same. Designed by Japan-based teamLab Architects in collaboration with MZ Architects, the space is built to accommodate artwork that does not exist as a fixed structure but instead takes form through its surroundings. Toshiyuki Inoko, founder of teamLab, described this approach as "environmental phenomena," where the conditions of the space generate and sustain the art itself. He explained that, unlike conventional human-made objects, which exist independently, these works depend on their environment to maintain their structure. Among the installations, 'Massless Suns and Dark Suns' features spheres of light and shadow that shift in response to movement. 'Levitation Void' presents a floating structure that rises and reconstitutes itself after disruption. The experience is designed to be fluid, unpredictable, and shaped by interaction. teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi joins a growing network of institutions within the Saadiyat Cultural District. The Louvre Abu Dhabi and Manarat Al Saadiyat are already established in the area, while the Zayed National Museum, Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi, and Guggenheim Abu Dhabi are still in development.
FACT
25-02-2025
- Entertainment
- FACT
teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi will open on Saadiyat Island this April
Abu Dhabi, you are in for a cultural treat. The capital has unveiled plans for teamlab Phenomena Abu Dhabi, a one-of-a-kind, multisensory art experience. The new venue will be located in the Saadiyat Cultural District and is set to open on 18 April 2025. We are excited, as teamlab Phenomena Abu Dhabi has dubbed itself as the home for infinite curiosity and aims to be a philosophical, inspirational place. Spanning a massive 17,000 square meters, it will be an immersive space, and interacting with the artwork will be positively encouraged. Designed to engage sight, sound, and touch, the exhibits encourage deeper connections and new ways of interacting with the world. Blending art, science, and technology, the environment itself becomes part of the artwork—creating dynamic, ever-evolving experiences where no two visits are the same. teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi will offer an ever-evolving art experience uniquely designed for Abu Dhabi by the renowned Tokyo-based collective, teamLab. Rooted in the concept of 'Environmental Phenomena', the installations emerge from extensive experimentation, allowing art to evolve organically within its surroundings. Housed in a purpose-built structure designed by teamLab Architects in collaboration with Abu Dhabi-based MZ Architects, the architecture itself will play a vital role in shaping the dynamic nature of the exhibits. Guests will step into a world of creativity and innovation, surrounded by massive, ever-evolving exhibits that blur the boundaries between perception and reality. In Massless Suns and Dark Suns, spheres of light and darkness converge to challenge the way we see the world. A simple touch ignites a radiant glow, triggering a ripple effect that spreads across the space. Here, the artwork does not exist independently; it is a phenomenon shaped by its environment. Expanding on this interplay, the Levitation Void introduces a suspended presence—an energy-born void that defies gravity. Hovering effortlessly in mid-air, it transcends the notion of a fixed object. When disturbed, it may momentarily shift or fall, yet it instinctively rises again, repairing itself and maintaining its mysterious state of levitation. The new initiative has been put together by The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi and Miral, which manages cultural, leisure and entertainment landmarks in Abu Dhabi. The Tokyo-based art collective, teamLab, have joined the collaboration, having previously worked with the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles and the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney. Toshiyuki Inoko, Founder of teamLab, said: 'The artworks in teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi do not exist independently, but are created by the environment which produces the various phenomena that cause the artworks to exist. Up until now, things that humans have created have existed through matter, just like a rock, and have a stable structure in and of themselves. Unlike such things, the existence of the artworks in teamLab Phenomena are created by the environment. The environment produces the phenomena, and the environment maintains the existence of the structure. Let us call that existence environmental phenomena.' Abu Dhabi already boasts impressive cultural offerings, from the Louvre Abu Dhabi to the soon-to-open Guggenheim Abu Dhabi and Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi. So, teamLab Abu Dhabi aims to sit alongside these cultural landmarks, and add to the creativity of the Saadiyat Cultural District. Tickets to teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi are on sale now and start from AED 150 per person. GO: Visit for more information.
