Visiting teamLab Borderless in Tokyo

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teamLab are an international art collective that create interactive digital art museums, exhibitions and installations all across the world, using their art to transcend perceived boundaries and create borderless spaces. teamLab Borderless is their museum in Azabudai Hills, Tokyo, and it’s one of the best art experiences I’ve ever had.

The museum is made up of rooms that either project moving art pieces onto the walls or have light installations that hang from the ceilings, bounce off of mirrors and other reflective surfaces, and/or change in colour. It’s extremely immersive and a maze in which to get lost in. Every time you return to a room, the walls have changed or the lights hit differently. There’s music playing throughout Borderless and while it can be a bit louder in some spaces, it’s also extremely calming music; a bit like you’d find in a relaxation space in a spa.

Unlike some of their other locations, this has no set route and you are free to explore at will, meaning you can return to rooms when they feel less busy. This is especially helpful within the most popular spaces, and also in the ‘under the sea’ space where you can bring your own artwork to life.

The Sketch Ocean area allows you to design your own sea creature that gets scanned in and uploaded to the walls. These are then animated and move around the space interacting with other people’s sea creatures. You can also have them printed onto items such as badges and t-shirts to take home with you. This is just one of the ways in which you can interact with the art around you. Let me share a few of the other spaces you can explore and how it feels to be in them…

The first room you come into is covered with blooming flowers but these will change varieties throughout the space and over time too. They’re constantly moving. I believe every hour they go through a year of different flowers. The walls are soft for you to lean against and touch, and some are mirrored too. This space is perfect for becoming completely surrounded and encompassed by the art on the walls.

The waterfall room is probably one of the most shared online and it is such a fun space to be in. You have the raised space at the back which will always be full of people (so no empty phot spot here!), but there’s still always space to sit and enjoy the artwork moving around you.

One of my favourite spaces was the room full of light ropes hanging from the ceiling. The colours and strength changed often and when the lights moved, it felt a bit like flying through hyperspace! They dangled down and sparkled like crystals reflecting on the mirrored walls and floors making it feel like they were endless.

Another space was extremely dark with cuboid shapes protruding from the walls, giving some interesting dimension to the room. Rising from the darkness, the artwork of flowing ocean waves was projected onto all of the surfaces, which was mesmerising to watch.

I enjoyed the way that there were also waves flowing down the corridors too, and sometimes birds would appear flying across the walls of different spaces. The flowing movement of projected calligraphy and brushstrokes, much like the birds and ocean waves were definitely entrancing.

Another of my favourite rooms was surrounded by mirrors and filled with moving metallic balls that reflected the light. You couldn’t quite tell what was reflections and what was physical some of the time and it was a very interesting space to be inside of. You often wanted to reach out and see what was really there.

Sadly the room filled with hanging bauble-like lights was closed during our visit which I would’ve loved to experience. There’s also a tea room where projections will make it appear that flowers are blooming in your tea cup.

Tickets & more teamLab installations

Tickets release on the 2nd of the month 2 months before, so, for example, if you’re looking to go anytime in November, tickets will release on the 2nd of September. I recommend wearing light-coloured, plain clothing if you want to enjoy being part of the art, as the projections will appear on you like a canvas. Also, I suggest not wearing short skirts as some of the floors have mirrors!

If you’re not sure about the sound of the maze like experience, there’s also another teamLab installation in Tokyo called Planets with water filled rooms, that does actually have a set route. You can see some photos and videos from Marceline’s visit in 2018. I was lucky enough to also see their open air museum in Osaka, which is outdoors on set paths, and I highly recommend visiting here too.

It was hard to capture some of the rooms in photographs as everything was constantly moving, so check out my Instagram stories highlight for some video clips of the artwork in action.

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One response

  1. Suzanne Butt avatar
    Suzanne Butt

    what a cool experience. I really love interactive art like this, I think it helps people who might not have otherwise felt open to art exhibits realise what an experience it can be.

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