Digital art without borders

DIGITAL ART MUSEUM opens in Tokyo

Rushing down snow-covered mountains on skis, crossing a high-rise canyon on a board at dizzying heights or running away from dinosaurs - experiencing virtual adventures is already part of the regular leisure program in Tokyo.

With numerous VR adventure parks, the metropolis already offers a wide range of deceptively real experiences. Since June 21, the MORI Building DIGITAL ART MUSEUM: teamLab Borderless has been setting a new standard in terms of digital entertainment, combining art and experience in a unique way. A special highlight: there are no spatial boundaries for the works of art. They can leave the installation rooms, move through corridors and communicate with other works, even merge with them.

The Digital Art Museum is located in the Odaiba district and is a joint initiative of Mori Building, a well-known promoter of culture and art, and teamLab, a creative group that uses digital technologies to present art. 520 computers and 470 projectors are spread across the 10,000 square meter exhibition space, which houses five different worlds. It invites visitors to become part of the interactive installations - without the need for VR glasses.

In the Borderless World, the digital artworks traverse the space, move in the corridors, communicate with other installations and sometimes merge with them. These installations have no borders to other works and visitors become part of the installation at the same time.

The teamLab Athletics Forest is a new creative space that promotes the growth of the brain's hippocampus and trains spatial awareness. It is based on the concept of understanding the world through the body and thinking in three dimensions. Visitors can expect a 3D bouldering challenge and the Boing Boing Universe, where explorers can jump high or sink deep. There is also a climbing forest and a weightless room full of three-dimensional light movements, a world that turns outwards and a large 3D room with different inclinations.

The Future Park is an educational project and an experimental area for joint creations. The aim of this exhibition area is to promote and change relationships between people in the same space. Due to technological developments and the constant presence of smartphones in everyday life, joint activities in the Future Park are intended to strengthen the sense of community as well as creative thinking.

In the Forest of Lamps, visitors are immersed in a special sea of light: At the beginning, the lamp hanging closest to the visitor shines brightly and triggers a chain reaction as the light travels over the two nearest lamps and spreads continuously. As soon as the light has passed all the lamps, it returns to the first lamp. It becomes interesting for the viewer when another person enters the room, as the light reacts to human interaction. Visitors become aware of the presence of others in the same room as soon as the light moves from another side of the room.

Visitors to the EN TEA House can enjoy traditionally prepared green tea, which is grown in the province of Hizen. A special highlight is a digital flower that blooms in the teacup as soon as the hot drink is poured. These flowers bloom as long as there is tea in the cup.

Further information on the MORI Building DIGITAL ART MUSEUM: teamLab Borderless at www.borderless.teamlab.artand on Tokyo at www.gotokyo.org& www.tokyotokyo.jp