teamLab: Living Digital Space and Future Parks | teamLab

Pointillism uses an accumulation of distinct dots of color to create a picture, here light points are used to create three-dimensional objects. This interactive artwork expresses the universe through accumulated light points.

People can use their smartphones to select elements that make up the universe by dragging them and releasing them into the The Infinite Crystal Universe. Each element of the universe sent into the work influences that of other elements and is influenced by the presence of people in the space.

This artwork is forever evolving, changing moment to moment due to the people in the space.

All oceans are connected to each other, and so are all the waves in this world.

In classical East Asian art, waves are often expressed using a combination of lines. These waves created by lines allow us to realize that each wave is one part of a larger flow, and conveys life as though the waves are a living entity.

When the waves rise, we can feel a powerful breath of life, as though life is blooming. It feels as though each wave has a life of its own. But when the waves collapse and disappear, we realize, with a sense of fragility, that they were a part of the ocean. And that ocean is connected to all of the other oceans. In other words, all of the waves in the world are connected to each other.
The waves seem alive because life is like a rising wave. It is a miraculous phenomenon that continuously emerges from a single, continuous ocean.

The waves are expressed through a continuous body of countless water particles. The interactions of particles are calculated, and then the movement of water is simulated in three-dimensional space. Lines are created along the trajectories of the water particles, and drawn on the surface layer of the three-dimensional waves.

The lines are created with what teamLab refers to as Ultrasubjective Space. In contrast to space that is created through, or cut out by, lenses and perspective, Ultrasubjective Space does not fix the viewer’s viewpoint and in turn frees the body. The wall that the waves are seen on does not become a boundary between the viewer and the artwork, and the artwork space is continuous with the space of the viewer’s body.

Pointillism is a genre of paintings that expresses the subject matter through a series of points. This interactive sculpture, however, consists of a set of points of light that are used to express three-dimensional objects. For this work, a three-dimensional interactive flame is produced by the points of light.
When people move close to the flames, the flames increase in intensity.
Flames are a phenomenon of light and heat generated by combustion, not a substance, but our sensory experience when we see a chemical reaction called combustion. People perceive the flame, a sensory experience, as if it were an object, and sometimes feel life in it.
Flames often appear to have a hierarchy of colors from their outside to the center: red on the outside, strong bright white on the inside, and dark in the center. In the case of a raw egg, the outer shell is white, the interior is transparent, and the center is yellow, but because it is a three-dimensional object, only the white shell is visible from the outside. Unlike an egg, the flame is a three-dimensional object made of light, and the strong bright white inside is still white when mixed with the red outside. Therefore, the flame, which is a three-dimensional object, appears as if it were a flat painting with a color hierarchy, no matter where you look at it.
By creating a three-dimensional flame with a collection of points of light, the three-dimensional flame sculpture moves back and forth between three and two dimensions.

This artwork is in a state of continuous change. Aligned to the passing hours of the day and over a period of one year, a seasonal year of flowers blossom and scatter. Flowers are born, grow and blossom in profusion before the petals scatter and the flowers wither and fade away. The cycle of birth and death repeats itself, continuing for eternity. The artwork is created in two versions: one with “A Whole Year per Hour, Dark” and another with “A Whole Year per Year, Dark”.

The seasons co-exist and change gradually across the installation space.
Flowers blossom according to the seasons, and the places where they grow gradually change.

The flowers bud, grow, and blossom before they begin to wither and their petals eventually scatter, repeating the cycle of life and death in perpetuity. If a person stays still, the flowers surrounding them grow and bloom more abundantly than usual, but if people touch or step on the flowers, they shed their petals, wither, and die all at once. Sometimes the flowers cross the boundaries of other works and bloom in other spaces, but scatter or die due to the influence of other works.

The artwork is not a pre-recorded image that is played back; it is created by a computer program that continuously renders the work in real time. The interaction between people and the installation causes continuous change in the artwork, so previous visual states can never be replicated, and will never reoccur. The picture at this moment can never be seen again.

In spring in the Kunisaki Peninsula, there are many cherry blossoms in the mountains and canola blossoms at their base. A visit to this region led teamLab to wonder how much of these flowers were planted by people and how much of them were native to the environment. It was a place of great serenity and contentment. The expansive body of flowers is an ecosystem influenced by human intervention, and the boundary between the work of nature and the work of humans is unclear. Rather than nature and humans being in conflict, a healthy ecosystem is one that includes people. In the past, people understood that they could not grasp nature in its entirety, and that it is not possible to control nature. People lived more closely aligned to the rule of nature, which perhaps created a comfortable natural environment. We believe that these valleys hold faint traces of this premodern relationship with nature that once existed, and we hope to explore a form of human intervention based on the premise that nature cannot be controlled.

Universe of Water Particles is a virtual waterfall created in a virtual 3-D space using teamLab’s concept of ultrasubjective space, a term that refers to the depiction of space found in premodern Japanese painting.

Computer-generated water consisting of hundreds of thousands of water particles is virtually poured onto a virtually sculpted rock. The computer calculates the movement of the particles to produce a simulation of water that flows in accordance with the laws of physics. Lines are drawn in relation to a selection of 0.1% of the particles. The sinuousness of the lines depends on the overall interaction of the water particles.

In premodern Japanese painting, oceans, rivers, and other bodies of water were expressed using a series of lines. These lines give the impression of movement and life, as though water was a living entity. This form of expression leads us to explore why premodern people sensed life in rivers and oceans. Universe of Water Particles fuses the objective world of today’s knowledge with the subjective world of premodern people.

When viewing this artwork, regardless of the fact that the waterfall is a reproduction of physical phenomena, it can be possible to feel a sense of life in the collection of lines.

If, when viewing this artwork—as opposed to a video of a waterfall shot with a video camera—people feel the barrier between themselves and the waterfall dissolve, they become immersed in the work as if the waterfall is luring them in. Perhaps we can find a connection to the way premodern Japanese people perceived the world and consequently behaved towards it.

If we regard ourselves as part of nature, and consider nature as something not just to be observed, it is possible to feel that there is no boundary between ourselves and nature.

Created from 12 screens, this illustrated story features a theme of "the clash, cycle, and symbiosis between nature and culture.

The world of the artwork is created in three-dimensional space on the computer, visualizing a ultrasubjective space within 12 perspectives. The surface peels away, and the other side of the work rises to the surface.

Three-dimensional shapes are represented by a computer as abstract, higher-order information described by a mesh construction. When the surfaces of those three-dimensional rendered objects are peeled away, it is apparent that they are created from various combinations of mesh structures. By peeling away the surface, the underside of the work is revealed allowing a glimpse into the creative process behind it.

1: Flower and Corpse Glitch Set of 12 Capital City & Noble
The capital city in all its wondrous glory.

2: Flower and Corpse Glitch Set of 12 Disaster & Prosperity
An evil disease spreads throughout the capital.

3: Flower and Corpse Glitch Set of 12 Mountain People & Festival
Hikaru Genji follows the disease and ends up in a mountain village. To celebrate the blessings of nature, the village holds a festival.

4: Flower and Corpse Glitch Set of 12 Daily Life & Forest
The village festival is over and the village returns to ordinary life. Even under the influence of the disease, the people bravely live on. They receive the benefits of nature, living in abundance and cutting down trees to develop their civilization.

5: Flower and Corpse Glitch Set of 12 The Spirit Tree & Yamata no Orochi
The mountain village is asked to provide large amounts of timber to further develop the city. The villagers cut down a large tree deep within the mountains. When the sacred tree is downed, suddenly, Yamata no Orochi appears from the fallen tree. Yamata no Orochi is furious with rage and causes heavy rain and flooding in the valley.

6: Flower and Corpse Glitch Set of 12 Yamata no Orochi & The Gods of the Forest
Yamata no Orochi knocks down the houses of the mountain village. Following the rampage of Yamata no Orochi, the gods of the forest appear and begin to attack the people.

7: Flower and Corpse Glitch Set of 12 Weapons & Battlefield
The mountain villagers ask samurai to come to the mountain village, and a battle between the warriors, the gods of the forest, and Yamata no Orochi begins.

8: Flower and Corpse Glitch Set of 12 Destruction & Victory
After a fierce battle, the warriors make use of the developments of civilization, such as flaming arrows and swords. Eventually the samurai warriors begin to be victorious.

9: Flower and Corpse Glitch Set of 12 Hunger & Wasteland
After the battle, the burned-out forest is a wasteland. The benefits of nature are lost and the mountain village suffers hunger and despair.

10: Flower and Corpse Glitch Set of 12 Flower & Corpse
Hikaru Genji is surrounded by the dead bodies of the gods of the forest and Yamata no Orochi. Despairing, he spreads seeds over the corpse of Yamata no Orochi. Then, from the dead corpse, buds appear and numerous flowers bloom. The flowers grow over the trees and the forest is gradually restored.

11: Flower and Corpse Glitch Set of 12 Festival & Forest
The people of the mountain begin once again to reap the benefits of the forest and civilization is restored. The people of the village are determined to go on and live in harmony with the forest and the festival is once again held.

12: Flower and Corpse Glitch Set of 12 City & Festival
The evil disease subsides in the capital city. The people still do not know the cause of the disease, but they carry out a festival of thanks at this auspicious change of fortune.

A Christmas world that is born from children’s pictures.
Draw a picture of Santa Claus on a piece of paper, then, as if by magic he will appear in a town right in front of your eyes!
Children can also draw other parts of the town that Santa Claus will come to visit, such as, cars, buildings etc. The Christmas town that is created depends on what pictures the children choose to draw. Each childs picture enters into the town along with the pictures drawn by other children, and the drawings move around and come to life in the town. Children can also decorate the town itself too. As the different pictures enter the town, different scenes evolve. You can also enjoy interacting with the pictures: touch a car, for instance, and it will speed up!

The pictures people draw in Sketch Town can be made into an original paper craft.

Each of the pictures drawn in Sketch Town, such as cars and buildings, is converted into a plan for a paper craft model. By assembling along the plan guidelines, you can create a one-of-a-kind paper craft.

Create! Hopscotch for Geniuses is the digital version of the childhood game hopscotch. Participants are invited to create their own hopscotch course, consisting of projected circular, triangular, and square shapes. Each participant is able to determine the level of difficulty while making full use of his or her imaginative and creative skills. Different sound effects and beautiful images emerge as participants land on the same shape or color in succession.

This is a table where little people live.
If you put something, such as your hand, on top of the table, the little people will jump on to it. Depending on the shape of the objects you place on the table, the little people will slide, jump, or climb. Place many objects on the table and the little people will play with delight.