Spring has come this March. However, we are not feeling any new excitement. The world became so boring with the same repetitive routine because traveling has become impossible due to COVID-19. If you want to have a colorful landscape of spring in your eyes, CAH may recommend this exhibition, 'teamLab: Life'. It is an amazing art exhibition which features beautiful nature in digital images. It opened last September, and will run until April 4 th. Therefore, there are only a few chances left. Let's run to Seoul Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) and change your gray spring into a rainbow. Before reading the article, CAH will give you a small tip first. If you want to take a nice photo, please wear white clothes!
1. Who Is TeamLab? Scientists or Artists!
The 'teamLab' is the experts' team consisting of designers, programmers, engineers, as well as mathematicians and architects. They wanted to create artwork that breaks the boundaries between humans and nature through digital technology. Activity of 'teamLab' began in 2001 and they started exhibiting in New York and Tokyo in 2014. They gradually improved their art reputation all around the world. Finally, they released their newest artwork in Seoul for the first. Their exhibition is not just a typical artwork that uses a beam projector to shoot videos on a white wall. It is interactive art that follows the movement of the visitors and the flow of time. Today, when it is difficult to enjoy nature while living in cities, this teamLab exhibition is going to offer you a new inspiration.
2. The Panorama Presented by Nature
The 'teamLab: Life' consists of 10 sections. This exhibition is not just about showing nature with digital imaging technology. As mentioned earlier, it uses interactive elements which can change the motion of the video depending on the visitor's touch. The artwork interacts with the audience. Simultaneously, this interactive technology can give you not only fun, but also a feeling of communication between nature and humans. Because the exhibition space is so huge, you can feel overwhelmed by our phenomenal Mother Nature when you stand in the middle. Let's go into 10 different nature spaces and feel the vitality that teamLab has made. Furthermore, each of these 10 sections will be much more interesting if you find out how the sections interacts with each. In this article, CAH would like to introduce some sections that were very impressive.
a. The Space of Plant and Animal
The first section is 'Life Survives by the Power of Life.' This artwork is at the entrance of the exhibition. You can see a tree picture shaped like the Chinese character '生(Saeng)', which means 'born and growing up'. It represents the cycle of the season when flowers bloom, leaves shed, and snow piles up over time. Like the meaning of Chinese characters, nature was beautifully presented. It is born and grown according to the seasons. The picture moves smoothly like a brush with ink on it. The second section is titled, 'Animals of Flowers, Symbiotic Lives II,' which animal shapes were created by repeated birth and death of flowers. The impressive point is that when visitors touch the wall, the flowers disappear. Finally, the shapes of animals which is made of the flowers, also disappear. It is sad because it feels as if an animal is dying. The animals run around together when the visitors are moving. Looking at the shapes of animals, you will feel as if you are in a jungle.
b. Space of Earth and Life
The third section is 'Beating Earth', which shows the movement of the ground. Looking like the map's mountain contour, the waves move along with the visitors' steps. Like the title 'Beating Earth,' the ground seems to shake as if an earthquake is happening. It is unique that it expresses not the stable and fixed image of the ground that people commonly have. Instead, it shows the dangerous appearance of a ground that is hard to stand on. The fourth section is 'Shifting Valley, Living Creatures of Flowers, Symbiotic Lives'. It is connected to the third section, 'Beating Earth.' The earth's waves in the previous section gather to create new flowers. Then, those flowers create very small creatures such as germs. In addition, the creatures are seen eating other creatures. Those that cannot eat other creatures decompose and disappear. It is paradoxical that the cruel food chain of the ecosystem is expressed using beautiful flowers.
c. The Water Space
The fifth space is 'Universe of Water Particles, Transcending Boundaries.' Numerous drops of water on the wall gather to make the rivers and oceans. When the visitors approach the wall or walk on the floor, they can see the direction of the water path change. Furthermore, it recognized where visitors stand, avoiding the space. The sixth section is 'Black Waves: Immersive Mass.' The waves of movement in this exhibition immerse the visitors in the artwork as the title suggests. You can feel like you are drifting in a tsunami at night because the exhibition is very dark inside. The sixth section is a dynamic and scary sea, while the fifth is slow and calm water. The waves cross outside and inside without boundaries. It can also be interpreted that nature is not something that can be controlled.
3. The Message: teamLab or Nature Gives You
There are two messages that 'teamLab: Life' suggests. First, all living things are connected. Natural landscapes in the exhibition hall such as humans, animals, plants, oceans, and the ground all influence each other. Neither section moves independently. Flowers gather to create an animal, and the animals eat each other. When people stand still, more flowers bloom. However, when the audience touches the flowers or starts walking around, the flowers fall down. The flowers bloom again when a person's touch becomes more gentle. When nature begins to reach human hands, it is inevitably damaged, but it can recover its own vitality. Second, nature has no kind or evil intentions toward humans. Like the second and fourth sections, nature presents beautiful landscapes to humans. However, sometimes they cause dangerous and terrifying disasters such as the third and sixth sections. To be specific, nature does not particularly care about humans, or try to harm humans. All this was just a necessary process for life to circulate, just as each exhibition section is connected.
The relationship between humans and nature is shown in interactive art pursued by teamLab. The exhibition was not only visually beautifully drawn, but also gave people an experience that made them feel like they are communicating with nature. Everyone in the exhibition hall looked happy in nature. Interactive art is still unfamiliar to most people. Nevertheless, teamLab has completed an exhibition that adults and children both can enjoy. If you are exhausted in the gray building city, this exhibition will lead you to a new spring. The spring that teamLab presented to citizens is not over yet!
Dates: 2020.09.25 ~ 2021.04.04 / Temporary closure day: 2021.03.08
Hours: 10:00~20:00 every day
Place: Dongdaemun Design Plaza(DDP)
Ticket Price: 20,000 won for adults / 16,000 won for teenagers/ 12,000 won for children
Contact: 02-2153-0000