THK TOWER

September 28, Nuanu in Bali has inaugurated one of its hallmark landmarks, the ‘Tri Hita Karana’ (THK) Tower. Designed by renowned French architect Arthur Mamou-Mani and named after the philosophy of the Balinese people which symbolises harmony with the divine, between people, and nature, the architectural wonder is the first and the largest permanent hybrid art-AI installation of its kind in the region. 

An ambitious creative endeavour, the THK Tower stands 30-metres tall and has 108 steps, serving as an interactive landmark perched atop the famous black sand beach of Nyanyi overlooking the pristine waters of the Indian ocean. The ratan and ironwood sculpture is brought to life as a projection mapping show in the nighttime, and a design enthusiast’s personal playground of wonder in the daytime, offering 360 views across the 15-minute city. 

Based in Bali and Dubai, the DELIVERED. team developed the entire framework of the lightshow and selected AI artists who excel in crafting abstract generative art through code. These artists, Pablo Alpe (a Spanish coder and interactive designer from Spain), Ben Helm (a British multimedia artist), Maksim Ha (an American Czech-Republican artist) and Aizek (a Russian audiovisual artist), ensure the lightshow at the tower is not just visually stunning but also groundbreaking. Together the four artists’ work calls upon Balinese traditions such as Parahyangan — the relationship between humans and the spiritual world, Palemahan — the relationship between humans and nature; and lastly Pawongan — the relationship between humans and their fellow humans. The algorithm at the heart of the display is a living entity, constantly evolving, so no two nightly shows are ever the same, the code reimagines the patterns, ensuring longevity and relevance taking it back to its roots in circularity and sustainability. DELIVERED wants the THK Tower to have a deeper connection with its audience, inviting them to leave a piece of their heart behind. Through a custom web application, viewers can interact with the installation by responding to a prompt. These responses are then translated into code, seamlessly integrating personal expressions into its nightly designs, making each show a collective, ever-changing masterpiece.   

Anastasiia Filatova, Co-Founder & CEO at DELIVERED. says, “There are over 1000 light fixtures installed throughout the Tower, with 18 projectors housed in 12 surrounding mini towers alongside an in-built custom sound system and climate control box. This is brought to life in an 11 minute light and sound show with the exhibition viewable from different points across Nuanu, namely Luna Beach Club. 

The visionary architect Mamou-Mani celebrated for his award-winning ‘Galaxia’ temple at Burning Man in 2018 says, “THK is my first ever permanent installation in Asia. A key part of the process was understanding the lifecycle of every strip of rattan and ulin which is known as ‘iron wood’ in English that we reclaimed as circularity was key to this project. Although it is a permanent landmark here in Nuanu, it has been designed so that it can be disassembled, moved, evolved and broken down over time in a way that does not harm the environment, but instead celebrates it.”