The Beauty of Being Borderless

Founded in 2001, teamLab’s ability to mix art and technology has graced the world over. Yet, it was only in 2017, on my third trip to Tokyo, when I had the distinct pleasure of being introduced to the international art collective’s portfolio of work. 

teamLab’s exhibitions have been held in cities worldwide, including New York, London, Singapore, and Melbourne. The more elaborate teamLab museums and large-scale permanent exhibitions include teamLab Borderless and teamLab Planets in Tokyo, teamLab SuperNature Macao, and teamLab Massless Beijing.

teamLab, Microcosmoses - Wobbling Light © teamLab

Seven years after first meeting teamLab’s Global Brand Director Takashi Kudo, I reunited with him to experience the new installation of teamLab Borderless, located in the new Azabudai Hills complex in Tokyo.  

At its core, teamLab Borderless is a “physical, spatial art space that expands infinitely, where people walk around with intention; where the artwork world is continuous with the body.”

teamLab, People Don’t See the World as through a Camera © teamLab

teamLab Borderless does not waste any opportunity to draw you in.  It starts with the entryway piece entitled, People Don’t See the World as through a Camera. Like an optical illusion the words ‘teamLab Borderless’ are painted on the walls in such a way that when viewed through the lens of a camera, the words appear in the forefront. While “the world is continuous and without boundaries, it is cognitively separated, and especially when viewed through a lens, the world in which one's body is located is separated from the world one is seeing.”

teamLab, Sketch Ocean © teamLab

Moving through the entire installation, there are over 80 pieces to interact with and experience. Each piece is seamlessly connected without borders, inviting a sense of play and possibility.  One could spend hours just soaking up all the thought-provoking, sensory details as teamLab continues to take immersive experiences to another realm. 

teamLab, Flowers and People, Cannot be Controlled but Live Together – A Whole Year per Hour © teamLab

Walking through the artwork, Flowers and People, Cannot be Controlled but Live Together – A Whole Year per Hour, you can see flowers grow from small buds and blossom, to eventually lose their petals and die, as the seasons change across the installation space. Through human interaction, more flowers can grow if you stay still, or die if you step or walk on the flowers. A computer program is used for continuous feedback in real time, such that interactions will never be the same, and the artwork will always change. You may even notice that there is a subtle sweet flower smell in the air that enhances the experience. 

teamLab, Bubble Universe: Physical Light, Bubbles of Light, Wobbling Light, and Environmental Light - One Stroke © teamLab

My favorite piece  was the Bubble Universe: Physical Light, Bubbles of Light, Wobbling Light, and Environmental Light - One Stroke. Considerable effort went into creating this highly interactive installation that features sounds by Japanese musician, Hideaki Takahashi. Thousands of light spheres hang from the ceiling, illuminating through a person's stationary presence. As one sphere turns on, nearby spheres glow, starting a chain reaction of intersecting light produced by others around you in the exhibit. The light is enhanced by the mirrors on the ceiling, wall and floor. You are transformed to a different space and time as the lights and sounds all produce a soothing and therapeutic atmosphere.  

teamLab, The Haze © teamLab

These are just a few examples of how teamLab Borderless continues to touch the sensorium in ways that can only be described as magical. I am convinced that even the most skeptical individual will soon surrender to teamLab’s the multi-sensory approach, becoming awestruck by Borderless’s captive and creative nature. 

teamLab, Black Waves: Born in the Darkness, Return to the Darkness © teamLab

Check out these international teamLab installations opening soon: 

Biophilia: Nature Reimagined, Denver Art Museum, Denver, May 5 - Aug 11, 2024

teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Cultural District, Abu Dhabi, Construction Completion 2024

teamLab Borderless Hamburg: Digital Art Museum, Digital Art Museum, Hamburg, Scheduled to Open Summer 2025