TeamLabs is a Japanese group that creates interactive, large scale art installations. They currently have two exhibits open in Tokyo; we visited the TeamLabs Planets exhibit. From their website:
teamLab (f. 2001) is 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.
About Teamlabs Planets
The Planets exhibit is really interesting. It features several unique areas to explore and interact with. Many of the sections are not focused solely on the visual; three sections are extremely tactile. The whole structure of the experience makes you question the difference between real and fake, digital and analog. It is usually very busy and booked in advance.
What to expect at TeamLabs Planets
The experience is intended to be about half, to an hour, long. You wander from area to area but not in a forced, timed way. There are ramped hallways between each section of the exhibit that are easy to navigate. Most of the rooms are dimly lit except for the attraction in that room.
You will get wet! If you have issues with your feet or are easily grossed out having your bare feet in water that other people have their feet in, you might want to skip this. Shorts are probably the best clothing option to avoid the water getting your clothes soaked and the mirrored floors. Yep, you read that right, mirrored floors.
Get there early! You need to queue up before hand and leave your personal items in a locker. Tokyo is a pretty safe place, but you still should be thoughtful about what you bring and what you are comfortable leaving in a locker.
Impressions from my experience
I won’t ruin everything with a million pictures but I will say, the romp through the museum was very enjoyable. Our morning prior was a bit of a let down – we tried to go to the new fish market when it opened but it turned out to be closed for a holiday. We had seen the TeamLabs building from the train in the way out and talked about going earlier in the week.
So when the market was a bust, we switched gears and decided to go early. We stopped at the nearest Jonathan’s for a meal to hang out while we waited. We got really lucky and were able to book tickets for the opening while eating breakfast. Their other exhibit, Borderless, is booked well in advance so plan accordingly.
The whole affair is well organized and well done. Its fully immersive and they have an app you can download to interact with the exhibit more.
Have you been? What did you like about the museum?