TOKYO – Globally renowned digital art collective teamLab has partnered with Mori Building Co., Ltd. to open the Mori Building Digital Art Museum: teamLab Borderless within Azabudai Hills, Japan’s tallest skyscraper.
teamLab, Universe of Water Particles on a Rock where People Gather © teamLab
Having relocated from its former site in Odaiba, the museum will officially become a permanent fixture at the complex starting Feb. 9. It will showcase over 50 independent artworks, including its latest creation, “Bubble Universe,” an immersive installation where countless colorful spheres fill the room.
teamLab, Flowers Bloom in an Infinite Universe inside a Teacup © teamLab
With the goal of surpassing the 2.3 million visitors it had in its inaugural year, teamLab Borderless, created without a map, aims to present a “world of artworks without boundaries.”
teamLab, Bubble Universe: Physical Light, Bubbles of Light, Wobbling Light, and Environmental Light - One Stroke © teamLab
“Everything in this world exists in continuity, and this includes our own existence. However, when people try to understand the world, they tend to separate it into distinct parts for better understanding,” explained teamLab founder Toshiyuki Inoko to the Filipino-Japanese Journal, sharing his inspiration behind the creation of teamLab Borderless.
teamLab, Chromatic Sphere © teamLab
He noted that what is often considered beautiful are things that exist independently.
teamLab, Infinite Crystal World © teamLab
“We wanted to create a space where everything is connected, and the artworks relate to each other, and the boundaries in this world are ambiguous. To express that continuity and hopefully create an experience where people feel beauty in that continuity itself, and to initiate a cognitive revolution in what people consider as beauty—something more holistic about continuity, as opposed to what people have considered beauty so far, which is independent,” he added.
teamLab, Flutter of Butterflies Beyond Borders © teamLab
“Here, we’ve created a borderless world—a place where someone might forget to even think the question, ‘what artwork would you like the most?’ through their visit, considering the experience here as a representation of the continuity of the world itself,” he went on, describing the kind of experience they aim to create for visitors.
teamLab, Flowers and People, Cannot be Controlled but Live Together – A Whole Year per Hour © teamLab
With several teamLab exhibitions in the country and others abroad, such as Singapore and China, Inoko expressed his desire to bring this immersive digital art museum to the Philippines if the opportunity arises.
teamLab, The Way of the Sea, Flying Beyond Borders: Colors of Life © teamLab
“I’ve been to the Philippines more than 20 times. There was one time when we were trying to work on something, and I visited numerous times, but that chance unfortunately went away. If another one comes by, I would love to,” he enthused. - Florenda Corpuz
Website: https://borderless.teamlab.art/en/
(Cover: Toshiyuki Inoko, the visionary mind and heart behind teamLab. Photo by Din Eugenio)
