The all-new teamLab Borderless Jeddah, the first teamLab Bordrless museum in the Middle East, was recently officially inaugurated while Toshiyuki InokoThe Founder of the international art collective, and His Excellency Hamed bin Mohammed Fayez, Saudi’s Vice Minister of Culture, were on the site. The monumental digital art museum is located on the the shores of Al-Arbaeen Lagoon overlooking the panoramic views of Historic Jeddah, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the official opening date will be confirmed soon.
“Jeddah is one of the leading global cities in the Middle East with a profound history and rich cultural legacy. Inoko said.
The immersive museum will comprise over 50 artworks spread across its expansive and labyrinthine spaces, including an entirely new installation created exclusively for Jeddah. Whether it’s the ‘Borderless World,’ ‘Athletics Forest’ or ‘Future Park’ areas, teamLab Borderless is devoid of any boundaries, with the ever-changing, interactive artworks revolving around the ‘borderless’ theme. And while each of the artworks are set to be independent pieces, the borderlines between them are ambiguous. Seamlessly connected, the artworks will move in and out of rooms, communicate with each other, transform and intermingle, creating an immersive experience.
“The concept of teamLab Borderless is that everything exists in a borderless continuity. And our work is based on the continuous accumulation of human knowledge over a long history,” Inoko said. “For that reason, it is very significant for teamLab to be able to open the permanent teamLab Borderless in Jeddah, right next to a World Heritage Site. By experiencing teamLab Borderless, we hope that people will be able to move between the seamlessly interconnected past and present, and to imagine an ideal future.”
While wandering and exploring, visitors will be able to reconsider their perceptions of the world and discover the beauty of continuity itself. In a state of constant flux, teamLab Borderless is influenced by the presence of people interacting with it, resulting in ever-changing visuals that do not recur. All this provides a truly unique experience during every single visit.
Introducing the interdisciplinary collective that utilises digital technologies to ambiguate the boundaries between artworks, visitors and the world to Saudi is part of the Quality of Life programme, one of Saudi Vision 2030’s realisation schemes.
“Nurturing creativity and unleashing new forms of expression is at the heart of our cultural vision for Saudi Arabia. The concept of ‘borderless’, which sees art transcend boundaries and disciplines, resonates deeply with our efforts to build global bridges and enhance cultural understanding amongst citizens, residents and visitors,” the country's Vice Minister of Culture said. “As an innovative project nestled within a UNESCO Heritage Site, teamLab Borderless Jeddah promises to provide unique new perspectives, and we are delighted to collaborate with teamLab to bring this immersive, experiential concept to the Kingdom.”
The collaboration between the Saudi Ministry of Culture and teamLab started In 2020. The 10-year partnership is part of the ministry’s mission to support and develop a thriving cultural ecosystem, in line with the Kingdom’s ongoing national transformation. The collaboration aims to offer inspiration to Saudi Arabia’s burgeoning creative talents in the converging fields of art and technology.
When the teamLab Borderless museum opened in Tokyo in 2018, it welcomed 2.3 million visitors from over 160 countries in its first year. This set the Guinness World Records for the world’s most visited museum dedicated to a single group or artist. The museum was also named one of “Time” Magazine’s World’s Greatest Places 2019 and has received various international awards, including the Thea Awards for Outstanding Achievement at the 25th Thea Awards.
