teamlab unveils its ephemeral and luminous exhibition 'prayer'

from april 25 to may 31, 2021 art collective teamLab unveiled its exhibition ‘prayer’ without an audience. the unique exhibition featured the new installations, including ‘the eternal universe of words,’ in which calligraphy and its recitation created a universe of prayer, together with the massive ‘light sculpture of flames.’ also shown at the exhibition was ‘the eternal universe of words,’ in which calligraphy is forever written in three dimensions across an infinite space. these words are recited by buddhist monks with the help of zenbo hidaka, the deputy chief priest in koyasan sanbō-in.

the eternal universe of worlds

shown without an audience at teamlab‘s ‘prayer’ exhibition, spatial calligraphy is continuously written and recited aloud. the calligraphy spreads and echoes across the infinite space. the team comments on the new digital installation: ‘if you lie down or sit for a while, your body will eventually start to float and become one with the artwork universe. each word has a unique spoken sound. when people approach a word, the spoken sound also becomes closer.’

light sculpture of flame

teamlab reinstalled the 2016-designed interactive light sculpture at its recent ‘prayer’ exhibition. here, the digital installation comprises three-dimensional pointillism, a method of representation that expresses the subject through a series of points. this interactive sculpture, however, consists of a collection of light points that are used to express three-dimensional objects. for this work, a three-dimensional interactive flame is produced by the points of light.

universe of fire particles

this new digital installation was presented for the first time at teamlab’s ‘prayer’ exhibition. represented on a continuous loop, the work depicts a artistic interpretation of ethereal flames. the team seeks to express the phenomenon of light and heat as both a sensory experience and an object. here, the flame is shown as a continuum of numerous fire particles with a calculated interactions.

universe of fire particles falling from the sky

teamlab creates this ethereal artwork for ‘prayer,’ which comprises a collection of lines drawn in space by the movement of burning gas molecules. the aggregate of lines is then flattened by the ‘super-subjective-space’ as teamlab notes. when visitors view the work from above, an absolute black appears among the ever-evolving flame.