teamLab x Pace Gallery: Living Digital Space and Future Parks

June 29th, 2016

I remember being introduced to this exhibit through Instagram posts. As I was freshly graduated from high school, I was looking for things to do with my long summer break before my first semester of college. I had a good friend that was always up for a museum/ art gallery day. So I instantly screenshotted the Instagram post and asked her if she was willing to make the drive to Palo Alto with me. She thankfully said yes, and we set up a day and time. The teamLab exhibit was only on view for a temporary time, so we were eager to see this exhibit that was originally created & premiered in Japan!  We were both excited to view these interactive works for ourselves, and of course, take pictures. 

Fellow Visitors just as much in awe as we were. 

One of my favorite rooms was the "Flowers and People" room with flowers projected on the entire room. The visitors were able to sit or lay around the room. It was a very peaceful space, as there is ambient music playing in the background.  As you walk around the room you see flowers blooming and wilting all around. As I glided my hand across the wall there would be a new path of flowers growing and blooming. It was like magic, but in reality, it was all thanks to technology.  When I laid down it felt surreal, like I was in the middle of an animated movie. I glanced around I noticed the digital flowers regenerating all around me, a sight that was happening in seconds right before my eyes. I could have happily stayed in this one room for the rest of the day, but there was a lot more to see! 

Laying in a field of digital flowers. 

In Crystal Universe, the visitor walks along a narrow path surrounded by strings of light, that have different patterns of movement that are controlled by the viewer's smartphone. The patterns that were produced in the lights changed continuously and were never the same twice. So each viewer would have a different experience in the installation. It felt like seeing countless shooting stars or ripples in the water. 

We entered a separate space that was flooded by little kids coloring on paper given by the gallery staff. The sheets of paper were given to the visitors to create their own sea animals or automobiles that would then be thrown into a little world along with everyone else's creations. The worlds were called Sketch Aquarium and Sketch Town. These "worlds" as I am calling them, are digital installations found on the walls that are created by drawing your objects, scanning them, and seeing them come alive in 3-D navigating the little world on its own. It was a really fun installation that brought me joy because any person of whatever age could participate. But even if you were an adult you could totally find your inner child with this piece. This installation was one of my favorites as well! Victoria and I collaborated on our drawings and chose to make a sea turtle and Keith Haring inspired moving truck.  

Sketch Aquarium piece in progress

Our piece for Sketch Town. 

(The two bald stick figures are supposed to be Victoria and I. Hilarious, I know.)

We were more amused as 18-year-olds than some of the children were. We followed out little truck until it disappeared from the screen. 

The experience brought by teamLab was truly something special. Never had I felt like such an integral factor in a work of art. And that statement is true for many of the installations created and presented at The Pace Gallery by teamLab. This exhibit really changes the way people view art, and as the world continues to become more digitized it is important we do not leave art out of it. In more traditional galleries the viewer is to detain themselves from getting too close to the art and absolutely do not even think about touching! We are mere observers, but with teamLab's approach, our presence, interaction, and proximity are almost vital components. This exhibit gave me an early taste of what the future will hold for the world of art.