Ever wonder what it would be like to travel through a world built by an acid-tripping god? If so, or if you just want to experience some truly amazing digital art, stop by the Mori Digital Art Museum teamLab Borderless in Tokyo.
Forest of Flowers
The first exhibit you enter in the museum is a long snaking set of connected rooms displaying a scene of flower patches covering the walls and floors. What I loved about this museum is that you are meant to explore – the rooms are not set up in a nice line where you move from one exhibit to the next – instead you are forced to find your way and look into all of the nooks and crannies to make sure you didn’t miss anything.
Dancing Light Rays
One such “hidden” gem was a room set inside the flower exhibit. The exhibit consists of a large room with a mirror floor and spot lights dancing above your head. Simply stated, the exhibit is a type of light show, as in the spot lights dance around with the music, but it is so much more.
The way they made the lights intersect with one another gave the illusion of a solid volume of light that you could reach up and touch was surreal. At first, everyone stood to the outside of the room, but then Renata and I, having read the instructions, walked to the center of the room. I highly recommend doing this, as in the center, the light will dance around you making you feel like you are inside the art piece as opposed to merely spectating.
Digital Waterfall
Further into the forest is a large room dominated by a “waterfall” on the far wall. As people stand in front of the waterfall, the water is deflected around them. The water also streams across the floor and bends around people.
This is the first room in the museum that introduces you to the idea that you can actually interact with the art. On the other walls of the room, kanji characters fall down the wall on occasion. Touching them alters the entire scene in the room. For instance, touching the character for water might create a rainstorm. The whole effect was a whole lot of fun.
Lanterns
The next room we entered was the floating lantern exhibit. The room has mirrors on the floor and walls and lanterns hanging down at various lengths from the ceiling. The lanterns change color based on the “resonance” of the people near them. Basically, it was awesome!
Crystal Forest
After the lantern room, we wandered into the crystal forest. Here, strands of LEDs hung from above, with a small pathway allowing you to walk through. The lights change color and actually interact with a phone app. The floor was, yet again, mirrored which made the room feel very alien-world-ish.
Building Worlds
The last of the exhibits we visited was the Athletic Forest. This exhibit was a collection of highly interactive areas. One such area had you move buildings around in the room and watch as the world recreates itself. Very confusing to try and explain, but really neat.
Another area was full of large balloons of different colors. We spent time going through each of the different areas and having a blast. The idea of being part of, interacting with, altering, and even contributing to the art made this exhibit unique for a museum.
Flowers in my Tea
We ended the tour in the En Tea House. Here, you sit with a cup of tea after a long day of mesmerizing art – with images of flowers blooming projected into your tea. It was a very neat effect, and a great way to end the visit.
Conclusion
I highly recommend a trip to the Mori Digital Art Museum if you find yourself in Tokyo. It is very easy to get to, just a few minute walk from the Tokyo Teleport Station. Just make sure you get your tickets in advance and arrive early as the lines can get long.
teamLab Borderless Tokyo Website
teamLab Borderless Tokyo – 東京都 江東区 青海 1 3 8 お台場パレットタウン, Tokyo 135-0064, Japan