teamLab has a temporary exhibition out in Shanghai this summer which you most definitely don’t want to miss!
teamLab: Universe of Water Particles in the Tank is no doubt one of the most exciting projects created by the groundbreaking art collective of ultra-technologists. Given the title, it’s unimaginably fitting that it would take place at TANK Shanghai which exhibits art in former oil storage tanks. The exhibition revolves around the themes of perpetuity and impermanence. Two separate installations poignantly illustrate continuous change and humans’ unexplainable connection to nature.
The space is comprised of two artworks that affect and influence each other: Universe of Water Particles in the Tank, Transcending Boundaries and Flowers and People, Cannot be Controlled but Live Together, Transcending Boundaries – A Whole Year per Hour. The large installation is a euphoric dreamscape of cascading water and blooming flowers. The large ultra-subjective space is an interactive experience. As viewers step through the floor and touch walls, flowers blossom and scatter while the flow of the waterfall changes course. Every hour, an entire year’s cycle of seasonal flowers bloom and wilt away. Watching the cycle of different flowers bloom and take over the entire space is mesmerizing. The exhibition explores the constant cycle of life and death for flowers and how it is influenced by human interaction.
Universe of water particles in the tank. Photo: Nadia Cho
Universe of water particles in the tank. Photo: Nadia ChoThe second exhibit, Black Waves: Lost, Immersed and Reborn, is darker but nonetheless, just as moving and hypnotizing. Dramatic, rolling waves are projected onto walls reflected by mirrors. The compelling movement of the water gives the viewer the unique ability to drown and let oneself get lost in natural forces. The projections are actually just one continuous wave, which invite viewers to “explore a continuity among people, as well as a new relationship that transcends the boundaries between people and the world.” There are other installations to be found within Black Waves, each of which illustrate constant change and the perpetuity of life and death.
teamLab: Universe of Water Particles in the Tank, is a visually and conceptually powerful exhibition, that’s not to be missed. If you’re in Shanghai this summer, be sure to stop by TANK Shanghai to check out one of teamLab’s most momentous creations!
teamlab Shanghai. Photo: Nadia Cho
Interactive exhibit. Photo: Nadia Cho