A soon-to-be global art destination. And at the centre of it is the THK Tower
Not literally, as the Tower is majestically situated by the sea shore, so you can enjoy the sunset over the beach before the immersive AI light show illuminates the rattan structure.
Image credit: Nuanu from the ocean, featuring Luna Beach Club, Labyrinth and on the right, THK Tower. Courtesy Nuanu
Nuanu is a local Balinese word expressing ‘in the process.’ It’s an appropriate name for the forty-four hectare area of land in the Tabanan region divided into numerous independent “projects,” some of which are operational, others under construction, and others still, in the infancy of their planning stage. But beyond that, the Nuanu precinct is designed to never be finished, constantly developing and ‘searching for the future’ under the guiding pillars of education, art and culture, nature, health and wellness, and living and lifestyle.
So far, the operational projects include the stunning and sprawling Luna Beach Club; Lumeira Spa, for the most divine massage and world’s largest woodfire dome sauna; a thriving international school following the Cambridge curriculum; an artist village which also hosts afternoon art workshops for the local children; the Longhouse, a coworking, artmaking and gallery space; and Labyrinth, a world-class recording studio with boutique accommodation and a growing list of cultural facilities under its umbrella. In development are Oshom, an incredible hotel and series of villas over the existing mangrove and a huge parkland
Overall, it’s a precinct designed to service every need of the cultured and conscious. Daniel Popper’s Earth Sentinels, famed presences at Burning Man Festival, stand guard over it all. Another of his works features in the interactive Aurora Media Park, lit up from 7 pm daily, under the cover of the existing jungle on the property a stone’s throw away (Nuanu’s mission is to preserve and nurture the native biodiversity; over 70% of the property is kept as green space and no tree is destroyed. If necessary, it is excavated and moved to a temporary home with the Nature team, which is currently breeding and reintroducing butterflies to the island and cultivating hundreds of species of orchid until it finds a permanent home elsewhere in Nuanu).
And then, of course, there’s the THK Tower. Its official launch is the event we are here to celebrate. The incredible thirty-metre-high structure, designed by architect Arthur Mamou-Mani, is an artwork—a monumental looping, flowing rattan artwork crafted by Balinese Chiko Wirahadi. But when the sun dips below the calm, clear water of the black volcanic sand beach, it truly comes to life, lit up by a generative AI audio-visual projection designed by the team at DELIVERED – the same team responsible for Aurora Media Park. The THK Tower is named for the traditional Balinese philosophy ‘Tri Hita Karana,’ emphasising harmony between the divine (parahyangan), nature (palemahan) and people (pawongan). It’s a symbol for Nuanu, built to represent those same values.
Image credit: THK Tower at Night. Courtesy Nuanu
Nuanu is ‘in the process’ of becoming an ultimate vacation destination for the art person, replete with cultural institutions and workshops, as well as hospitality, event, and wellness venues to round out the experience. But more than that, it is the blueprint, just twenty minutes from Canggu and one hour from the airport, for a future in which each of its five pillars – education, art and culture, nature, health and wellness, and living and lifestyle – seamlessly intertwine for harmonious living and development.
