Cate Blanchett, Andrew Garfield and Stranger Things star Natalia Dyer were among a wave of A-listers flown to Abu Dhabi this week for the launch of a vast new art attraction the city hopes will rival the biggest cultural spaces in Europe.
The actors joined a red carpet guest list that also included Brendan Fraser, Marvel’s Pom Klementieff, DC’s Grant Gustin, music producer Swizz Beatz, spiritual leader Sadhguru and experimental artist Flying Lotus. All were in town for the unveiling of teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi, a 17,000-square-metre venue that uses motion sensors and real-time technology to turn visitors into part of the artwork.
The launch night began with a performance by Italian pianist Ludovico Einaudi and ended with a display of 6,000 synchronised drones over the Saadiyat Island skyline, complete with fireworks. It was the latest showcase of Abu Dhabi’s growing cultural ambitions — and one of its most expensive-looking yet.
The teamLab space is built around fully interactive digital installations. As visitors move through the venue, the rooms respond — with floors, walls and lights shifting according to movement, position and even the number of people inside. Nothing is fixed, and the same space looks different from hour to hour depending on who’s there.
The idea, according to organisers, is to create an experience that doesn’t just show visitors something but reacts to them in real time.
“Visitors are invited to discover the ever-changing, immersive artworks that respond to their movement and presence,” said the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, which commissioned the project. “No two visits are the same.”
The space was designed by teamLab, a Japanese collective known for its work in digital art, science and nature. Its installations have featured in museums in Los Angeles, New York, Istanbul and Melbourne, but the Abu Dhabi site is one of the group’s largest and most permanent ventures so far.
Built in the capital’s Saadiyat Cultural District, the venue sits near the Louvre Abu Dhabi and will soon be joined by the Guggenheim and Zayed National Museum — all part of a multi-billion-pound strategy to turn the Gulf city into a global arts hub.
Officials describe the project as part of a wider vision to put Abu Dhabi on the map as a serious cultural capital, not just a luxury stopover. “This further strengthens Abu Dhabi’s position as a leading destination for arts and culture,” the Department said in a statement.
Inside the building, themes touch on everything from environmental change to our relationship with technology, with works designed to be shaped by the presence of people. TeamLab’s stated aim is to help visitors rethink how they relate to the world around them — not through text or lectures, but through sensation and immersion.
The launch, held on 18 April, was intended as both a cultural event and an international statement of intent — drawing global attention to what has become one of the world’s most expensive cultural building programmes.
Photos: teamLab Phenomena
