teamLab: Borderless
/
As much as we love going to gardens, temples, and shrines throughout Japan, we wanted to see something different. Fortunately, we found out about an innovative interactive art exhibit called teamLab: Borderless, which is set up in Odaiba. All throughout the world teamLab has set up exhibits and shows. The permanent ones are in Asia, but other limited shows are popping up around the world from time to time.
The teamLab shows utilize sound, light, and sometimes touch to stimulate the senses. These exhibits can range from stationary objects, interactive dining experiences, light shows, interactive art shows, and even some that use shallow water visitors stand in as part of the experience.
Getting to Odaiba is easy with the Yurikamome Line, which loops through Odaiba after crossing the Rainbow Bridge. Finding the entrance to teamLab was tricky, however. We ended up walking entirely around the building it is in and finally found it next to where riders board the ferris wheel.
After entering the exhibit via a dark hallway the path splits. The layout of teamLab: Borderless is a bit of a labyrinth. The dark rooms are only illuminated by the exhibit and someone can potentially get confused while exploring.
We first came upon the flower forest. Here flower patterns are projected all over the walls and floors. The flowers are constantly moving and changing shape, and it’s also interactive. If you place your hand on the walls (for about 10 seconds) the exhibit will start a new grouping of flowers. There are also animals, such as rhinos and tigers, formed from the flowers that walk around, as well.
The next area we came upon was the lily pad pond. We entered from underneath the lily pads and walked up a ramp winding between the pads until we were standing above them. In this area there are large groups of herding birds, bugs, and fish that are projected onto the lily pads that cross the room in different colors.
Then we entered a circular room with moving waves projected on the walls, all surrounding a central resting area with cushions. Here, people sat or laid down, taking in the ambience of the waves and the calming music that accompanied it. The waves seem to be made of fibers that crash into one another constantly. The design is stunning and hypnotic; it’s easy to see why so many like to rest here.
We continued into a room filled with strings of LED lights that created various light patterns. A path leads through the lights between the two entrances. The floors are lined with mirrors to artificially make the room appear much larger. Standing in the middle of it all is quite a sight to see, especially when the pattern suddenly changes. Off to the side of the lights is an area with a pedestal with a screen that displays various environmental symbols that will change the light pattern.
We next walked into a vast open room with flowers and a waterfall cascading down the walls and over a geometric mount at the center wall. This is the main piece in this exhibit. It is another beautiful and serene room to relax in. This room is interactive as well. When standing in a spot for a short time (like with the flower forest) the water will start to break around you as if you’re a rock in a river.
After the waterfall room, we headed into a room lined with stage lights all above us along the walls. This is the light sculpture room where the lights move to create various shapes when focused together. Gas is pumped into the room to help illuminate the light shafts.
The lantern room is easily the most photogenic at the exhibit. The lantern room is easily found; we just had to find the line of people. We waited in a line that went up a set of stairs and then zigzagged through a room with a window that showed the lantern room. The staff let in small groups of about a dozen in for a few minutes at a time. The room is lined with mirrors just as the string light room was. It’s hard to determine exactly how many lanterns there are since the mirrors multiply their number immensely. When touched, the lanterns change their color slightly depending on what they all are set to. They change hues between red, yellow, and blue every minute or so. It was a very cool room to experience.
Finally we headed upstairs above the main floor to the athletic forest. This floor consists of many various physically interactive areas. Perhaps the coolest one was a large trampoline with stellar objects projected onto it. When jumped in place enough the spot coalesces into a star and then into a black hole that keeps growing in size. Another area had a series of small platforms that could be jumped across. One room has an interactive video game room with pieces that can be moved to alter the game layout. There were tables to color animals on paper that can be scanned in and then projected onto the nearby floor. At the back is the balloon area filled with enormous lit balloons of various sizes. These balloons can be moved around, and their colors change when touched.
The teamLab: Borderless exhibit was probably one of the most unique and fantastic art shows we’ve ever been to. We highly recommend it to anyone. Just remember there are mirrors on the floors in some areas, so a skirt or dress is discouraged. It can also be a bit of a sensory overload at times, but it was nice that a resting area was provided for those who needed a break.
Google Maps Link: teamLab: Borderless
