seven digital experiences by teamlab surround viewers at pace gallery

seven digital experiences by teamlab surround viewers at pace gallery
image courtesy of pace gallery

teamlab: ultra subjective space
pace gallery, new york
now through august 15, 2014

for their first-ever exhibition in the united states, tokyo-based teamlab presents ‘ultra subjective space‘, a display of 7 immersive digital works at page gallery, new york. as a fusion of technology and art, the experiential atmosphere surrounds visitors on large-scale screens, projecting looped videos which investigate perspective, time and the distortion of space.

for ‘cold life’, a calligraphic series of brushstrokes are modeled in a virtual 3D space, metamorphosing the japanese character ‘生’ (meaning ‘life’) into a tree. as time passes, various forms begin to grow from within the organic typologies. in computer graphics, similarly in this digital work, wireframe models with high levels of data are rendered into 3D objects. when the facades of these computer-generated images are peeled away, their mesh-like structures are revealed underneath. teamlab exemplifies rendering in its ‘stripped-down’ state while maintaining a complex and elaborate construction. projected in four times the resolution of full high definition, the technology allows for the communication of extremely intricate detail inherent in the work.

cold life, 2160×3840 pixels, 7min 15sec (loop), calligraphy: sisyu
gif by designboom

images from ‘cold life’
images courtesy of teamlab

in ‘crows are chased and the chasing crows are destined to be chased as well, division in perspective – light in dark’, the japanese mythical bird yatagarasu is rendered in light, flying around the space and leaving trails of color in its wake. the digital artwork uses the ‘itano circus’ technique pioneered by japanese animation, created by ichiro itano. the screen is packed with swarms of missiles that are drawn in a completely incorrect perspective, distorted so that the audience will feel a stronger sense of dynamic movement and impact. through ultra-high-speed camerawork, this approach creates an overwhelmingly beautiful image around the viewer.

crows are chased and the chasing crows are destined to be chased as well, division in perspective – light in dark
gif by designboom

digital installation, 4min 20sec; sound by hideaki takahashi
image courtesy of teamlab

static detail of the digital artwork
image courtesy of pace gallery

‘flower and corpse glitch set of 12’ consists of 12 film stories based on the themes of: civilization and nature, collision, circulation, symbiosis. the surface of flower and corpse glitch falls away to reveal the hidden underside of the animation.

flower and corpse glitch set of 12
gif by designboom

detail panels from the digital installation
images courtesy of teamlab

flower and corpse glitch set of 12
teamlab, 2012, digital work, 1min 50sec (9:16 × 12)
image courtesy of teamlab

the image of ‘ever blossoming life – dark’ and ‘ever blossoming life – gold’ and created and drawn in real time by a computer program. the images are not pre-recorded nor are played back. flowers grow and blossom within the space, before withering away and disappearing. the cycle of birth and death repeats itself, continuing for eternity and never duplicating the previous states they were in.  the artwork is created in two versions: one with gold background and another with dark background. each version is issued in an edition of 10 plus 2 a.p.s. 

ever blossoming life – dark
images courtesy of teamlab

panels from ever blossoming life – gold
images courtesy of teamlab

‘universe of water particles’ is set within a computer-simulated environment: a virtual rock is sculpted and hundreds of thousands of digital water particles are poured onto it. the screen calculates the movement of these particles to produce an accurate waterfall simulation that flows in accordance to physical laws. next, 0.1 percent of the particles are selected and lines are drawn in relation to them. the sinuousness of the lines depends on the overall interaction among the water particles, forming a cascade on screen. 

universe of water particles
teamlab, 2013, digital work, 1920×5400 pixels
image courtesy of pace gallery