Written by Cassie, 2021 Cohort
When I walked into this black room, only a dim light in front of me guided my way forward. After going into the light, my eyes were overwhelmed with various flowers, dancing birds and growing trees. Yes, I entered a totally immersive world, which is the exhibition site of the new media art teamLab.
An industry-borderless team
TeamLab founded in 2001 is home to a real mixture of specialists from various technological and artistic industries (artists, programmers, mathematicians, architects, etc.). Collaboration between different disciplines was a major motivation for them and they broke industry boundaries and made a difference in the digital media industry, which is why they are called “Team”+”Lab”.
Creations and viewers are borderless
Have you ever had such an experience? We were packed in like sardines in front of the world’s famous painting “Mona Lisa” in order to have a glance at it. In hindsight, our whole viewing experience is spent on taking photos instead of enjoying the beauty of art. However, the teamLab exhibition uses digital art to break the barrier of traditional painting art: the viewers are free to explore this variable space, and they have a corresponding influence on the digital works, making them realize that there is no boundary between them and the artwork. Thus, the relationship between people and art can be positive, and the relationship between people and the world can also be positive.
Digital and art are borderless
TeamLab relies on technology to expand the boundaries of artistic expression, thereby enabling artworks to “grow freely” through sophisticated digital technology. As shown in the Figure1, the scene uses lights, projectors, sensors as tools, and rocks, trees and plants as canvases, which perfectly combines technology and art. Throughout the exhibition, the boundary between the artwork and the space no longer exists, and the art is neither frozen nor bound by the wall. It is fluid and unrestrictive.