A new type of museum is taking shape on the beaches of Al Arbaeen Lagoon, overlooking Jeddah’s Unesco World Heritage-listed old town. Last month, the first permanent teamLab Borderless museum in the Middle East opened its doors, promising a labyrinthine area with more than 50 artworks divided into parts such as Borderless World, Athletics Forest, and Future Park.
It will open in 2023, with a specific date to be revealed soon. TeamLab, a Japanese multinational collective founded in Tokyo in 2001, is made up of brilliant individuals from many businesses. Artists, programmers, computer graphics animators, and mathematicians are among them.
The collective is known for embracing modern technologies and cultivating a symbiotic link between art and its audience. The piece reacts to a variety of sensory stimuli, including light, sound, and touch. Visitors at Multi-Jumping Universe, for example, leap around on large flexible flooring, directing the flow of light and music around them.
TeamLab’s Future Park installations can be found at the OliOli Children’s Museum in Dubai and The Scientific Centre in Salmiya, Kuwait. However, Borderless Jeddah will be the group’s first foray into the region, highlighting a growing interest in immersive digital art in Saudi Arabia and across the Gulf.
Permanent locations and installations such as Infinity des Lumieres in The Dubai Mall, the Rain Room at the Sharjah Art Foundation, and the Theatre of Digital Art in Souk Madinat Jumeirah have all provided similar experiences.