Team Quon at teamLab Borderless

Every now and then you’re invited into the creative world of real visionaries, where you are asked -in the words of the creators- to wander, explore, and discover. And once you step inside the doors a part of you never really leaves. This was our experience with teamLab Borderless’s breathtaking exhibition at the Mori building Digital Art Museum. It was an evening where we lost ourselves for several hours, but in the end found joy and inspiration in the numerous rooms with interactive displays.

A little about teamLab before I keep going. According to their bio, they are 'an art collective, interdisciplinary group of ultratechnologists whose collaborative practice seeks to navigate the confluence of art, science, technology, design and the natural world. Various specialists such as artists, programmers, engineers, CG animators, mathematicians and architects form teamLab.teamLab aims to explore a new relationship between humans and nature, and between oneself and the world through art. Digital technology has allowed art to liberate itself from the physical and transcend boundaries. teamLab sees no boundary between humans and nature, and between oneself and the world; one is in the other and the other in one. Everything exists in a long, fragile yet miraculous, borderless continuity of life.'

It’s a lot of words, but the long and short of it is they combine the arts and sciences to create the most visually stunning displays that seemingly have no boundaries, or in this case borders. From beginning to end you really pick up on this. The museum is divided into five sections: Borderless World, Athletics Forest, Future Park, Forest of Lamps and the En Tea house and in each one, from floors to hallways, they blend together, lights from one display melting into another, creating a seamless yet always interchanging theme. It is amazing!

This was Shannon’s second visit, and it was to our benefit since this is an exhibition where you can lose your way and miss many of the rooms. I’m not exaggerating! I was chatting with a local on Instagram and he had no idea some of the rooms we wandered through were even there. So if you go, one, bring someone (or chat with someone) who has already been so they can act as a guide, and two, prepare to stay several hours. This is due to the crowds and the fact that some rooms are so spectacular there are queues. The Lantern Room, for example. When we first arrived the wait to get in was close to an hour. Almost an hour or so later the line was only 10 minutes long. Trust me you will not be bored. The entire exhibit is such a feast for the eyes and senses you’ll lose track of the time-even your children will. So be patient. It’s worth the wait.

We spent the better part of four hours in Odaiba. Wandering through the museum’s exhibit there was no shortage of “ooh”ing and “ahh”ing. We gasped, we ran after moving pictures, we even bothered computer generated frogs and monks along the walls and got the chills when they actually turned to give us disapproving stares. I’ve never seen anything like this, and it explains why much like the Snoopy Museum, teamLab Borderless’ exhibit at the Mori museum of Digital Art is one of the top four exhibitions in the city and one of the hardest to get tickets to (unless you’re willing to wait several weeks).

It’s worth it though. Considering the Instaworthy picture opportunities and the uniqueness of the each display we were glad to wait the three weeks for our visit. We could have stayed so much longer, Madeline especially in the Matrix Room and Jackson in Light Forest Three-deminsional bordering. But when you consider there are 50 exhibits to view and interact with with, eventually you do have to move along.

I adore museums and enjoy going back to see what I may have missed, but very few have left me as excited to return as this one. We’ll wait until September when school is back in session, stay for a long afternoon and a fun ferris wheel ride after, and if there’s anything especially noteworthy you know you’ll be able to find the details here, or on my Instagram and Facebook accounts.

Enjoy the rest of our pictures and remember to live your life colorfully, fearlessly and without borders!