With the current unfortunate circumstances that no one needs a reminder of, the entertainment scene has become restricted and sometimes even frozen globally. Thus, when a worldwide-renowned and critically acclaimed art show comes to town, there is no reason to miss it! The anticipated teamLab SuperNature opened for visitors at The Venetian Macao’s Cotai Expo this June. Most likely, your Instagram feed has been overwhelmingly dominated by your friends’ photos from this mindblowing exhibition. But if you haven’t had a chance to check it out yet, read on to learn five reasons why you should visit teamLab SuperNature Macao!
World-renowned multi-dimensional experience
Much more than an art exhibition, teamLab is a collective of around 450 international talents–programmers, engineers, artists, mathematicians, architects, and more. Together they explore how art, nature, science, and modern technologies can coexist, creating immersive digital works in the process. They chose this particular medium to disperse the boundaries between a person and the world around them, transmit a message that everything is connected and whole. Formed in 2001 in Tokyo, Japan, teamLab has both temporary and permanent art spaces worldwide, including Tokyo, Shanghai, Singapore. Interestingly enough, the collective doesn’t adapt installations to the geography as they think their language is strong and universal and can reach people from all over the planet.
The Infinite Crystal Universe
The Biggest Art Project of Sands China Ltd
To induce awe to the guests of Macau and locals, Sands China Ltd. generously invested in what became the most expensive non-gaming project for the company. Five thousand square meters of rooms connected in a peculiar labyrinth comprise one of the world’s largest teamLab venues. Prepare to get lost in the immense space and disappear in the technology-focused art world for a couple of hours.
Some of the works, such as Light Sculpture – Plane Series, 11 three-dimensional light sculptures, are exclusive to Macau. So don’t miss an opportunity to admire this uniquely mesmerizing object!
Expanding Three-Dimensional Existence in Transforming Space – Flattening 3 Colors and 9 Blurred Colors, Free Floating
It’s interactive
We get it, and there is nothing to be ashamed of–not all of us are fond of art in its classic form. Some people find wandering around museum halls and passively observing paintings and sculptures boring. What teamLab offers is the opposite of the traditional art forms encouraging the visitors to press, push, jump, slide, or in any other way, engage. Strike the spheres to see them float and change colors, touch the flowers, and watch the petals scatter, jump on the bouncing surface and observe the universe around you with new stars being born. And while a visitor interacts with the installations, they change the art and become a part of it. Notably, there are coded algorithms behind most of the artworks that ensure that every sequence is unique.
Moreover, unlike some museums, teamLab is fine with taking photos and videos, so free up some space on your phone as you’ll want to photograph every piece in here!
Sketch Ocean
It’s great for kids
When it comes to contemporary art, it often requires some or a lot of knowledge of context. So it is not always easy to understand, hence hard to appreciate and enjoy. Unlike much contemporary art, visitors of all ages can enjoy teamLab and see something that speaks to them. There are several rooms where the little ones can entertain themselves and learn something cool at the same time. At “On the Table where Little People Live”, children can interact with characters on the table by placing and moving objects. Little people on the table will then change their behavior, jump, slide, or climb onto the items. While laughing at the funny drawings, kids can also see the three laws of mechanics in action–action and reaction, inertia, motion–thus making this a great way for kids to learn while interacting with art.
Then, there is the Sketch Ocean where you can color in a marine animal, scan it and watch it peacefully swim into the ocean on the large screen. Frankly, even adults would find it amusing especially if they’re indulging their inner kid!
Continuous Life and Death at the Crossover of Eternity
The environmental message behind it
While the teamLab collective uses the most advanced technologies as their medium, its inspiration often comes from nature, space, and the universe. By building indoor ecosystems with colorful beasts and blooming flowers, teamLab reminds us of the real world outside. Living in a busy city disconnects us from nature. Humans forget they are still a part of the ecosystem that planet Earth is. The disconnection often causes a lack of care for the environment, and the consequences are well-known and documented.
teamLab reminds visitors how nature functions by recreating the circle of life and death, seasonal change, the birth of new stars, and the role of humanity in it. Many of teamLab’s digital installations change when people interact with them. For instance, if you touch the animals or flowers, the flower petals will scatter and if you keep pressing, the animals will fade away. In the Continuous Life and Death at the Crossover of Eternity, flowers bloom if the spectators observe them and stay still, and scatter if they touch the petals. This subtle message is an educational tool for kids and a crucial reminder for adults of the fragility of the ecosystem.
Valley of Flowers and People: Lost, Immersed and Reborn
When: Daily, 10:00am–10:00pm (last entry 9:15pm), June 15, 2020 onwards
Where: Cotai Expo, The Venetian Macao, Estrada da Baía de Nossa Senhora da Esperança, Cotai
How much: MOP $238 (adults), MOP $168 (children aged three to 12). Morning Entry Ticket (Must enter before 12:00pm), MOP $168
For more information, check the event’s official website and buy tickets here
Photo credits: teamLab Sketch Ocean, 2020, Interactive Digital Installation, Sound: Hideaki Takahashi
Continuous Life and Death at the Crossover of Eternity, 2020, Interactive Digital Installation, Endless, Sound: Hideaki Takahashi
Valley of Flowers and People: Lost, Immersed and Reborn, 2020, Interactive Digital Installation, Endless, Sound: Hideaki Takahashi
