teamLab Phenomena Opening – Abu Dhabi

Text from the subsequent TPiMEA article

‘Masterful control’

With a glittering portfolio including the likes of the FIFA World Cup 2022 Opening Ceremony, the Saudi Arabia F1 Grand Prix, Ain Dubai and countless other high-profile events and installations both inside and outside the Middle East, Lighting Designer Durham Marenghi brought vast experience and creative flair to the project.

Chatting to TPiMEA following the event, the LD recalled how his approach evolved as the project progressed.“When I heard that I was to be given the opportunity to light the teamLab Phenomena grand opening, my initial discussions with the creative team – primarily Armanda Baptista and Daz Jamieson – revolved around the same dynamic, multicoloured, sensory challenging lighting found inside the building and most often associated with the company style,” he revealed. “However, when it became clear that the exterior architectural lighting had to be a more natural, soothing counterbalance to the impactful interior experience and more reflect the calm natural ambience of Saadiyat Cultural District, in came the pastel palette and out went the Congo blue, primary and secondary colours.”

With exacting client expectations to meet, Marenghi was indebted to Syncronorm Depence and CAST’s wysiwyg software. “We had to create animations and renders in the virtual world to ‘sell’ the concepts to the client, who was very invested in the appearance of our lighting to showcase the building and enhance the district around it, and who gave very clear direction on colour palette and laser enhancements,” Marenghi described. “Looking back at those renders and animations and the subsequent live images, they are quite difficult to tell apart.

Photorealistic virtual design has really added a new dimension to our art and how we create the ‘how can we not do that?’ moment in client presentations.”Marenghi’s lighting design called for a row of linear batten fixtures along the front of and close to the teamLab building, utilised to emulate the in-ground white fixture in some areas of the existing architectural lighting treatment. “These fixtures added subtle colour, tilt and zoom and – with some excellent programming by Pedro Marce Socias –created a very sinuous and organic illumination of the unique building form,” he described.

“We were also tasked with lighting surrounding buildings on the approach to the event with light and lasers and again a warm white, slowly dissolving wash treatment to accompany laser outlining was created rather than a garish multicoloured display.”The lighting inventory included around 120 Ayrton Rivale Wash and Spots, deployed to provide “good optics and subtle colours” to the upper parts of the building. “

The sinuous row of battens was created with 180 Robe iTetra 2, and for long throw power for the neighbourhood buildings, I specified 120 Robe iForte LTX as well an array of Elation Proteus Excalibur,” Marenghi revealed, adding that the entrance ambience was created with Ayrton Kyalami, with aerial effects from Robe iBolts and two of the massive GLP Mad MAXX fixtures at the portal – which were making their regional debut, having been sourced by CTME through GLP’s Middle East distributor, Provision AVL. Pianist Ludovico Einaudi was lit with a single 25W Astera AX3, while MA Lighting grandMA3 was used for control.

Reflecting on the project, Marenghi praised the wider lighting team. “Working in the FOH, which was the Natural History Museum building site, and the area where we needed projection and lighting towers, Kris Collier and his team performed real magic here, as did Anna Jones with her masterful control of surrounding building and ambient light, including the street and traffic lights,” he noted. “This was also the first time I have called lighting cues on WhatsApp, which was the only way to communicate with the architectural lighting team inside this technically mysterious building!”

Produced by HQWS - photos courtesy of HQWS

Chief Creative Officer Katie Veira - Executive Director Kamen Veira - Creative Direction Armanda Baptista, Daz Jamieson - Music Ludovico Ainaudi - Content BILD Studio - Lasers KVANT - Drones Lumasky - Light, sound, projection supplier CTME - Technical Manager Kris Collier - Lighting Programmer Pedro Marce Socias