appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Katya Maia

Anyone even remotely tapped into social media will have some awareness of teamLab and its out-of-this-world art displays and installations. Beautiful, all-encompassing and unique, the group’s work is something to be experienced rather than merely seen.
Founded in 2001 by Toshiyuki Inoko, teamLab calls itself an international art collective. It’s an interdisciplinary group of specialists – programmers, artists, engineers, mathematicians, CG animators and architects – whose works explore the convergence of art, technology, design and the natural world through the digital medium.
As a child, Inoko loved science and art. The two disciplines intrigued him and gave him different lenses through which to see the world and the contrast between those two perceptions stuck with him.

STYLE Edit: Joyce Hong Kong’s latest mind-bending collaboration
“What science did was make the resolution of the world clearer, through study and scientific processes. And what did art do for humans? Actually, art has changed the way we perceive the world,” said Inoko. “That is why I have always been interested in art and science, ever since I was a child.”
This interest stayed with him, and as a major in physics and mathematics at university, Inoko was struck by an epiphany: “Once I entered university, I realised that humans try to understand the phenomena that are happening in the world by dividing things into pieces, by separating things into parts. We keep separating things further and further and further. We try to understand the Earth, so we separate the Earth from the universe.
“We try to understand the Earth itself and the elements in the Earth, so we separate those elements to try to perceive what they are. And then we saw the atom. Because we wanted to understand the atom, we had to break that into molecules. Humans kept separating things; humans kept breaking things down into pieces to perceive the world. But, at the end of the day, that did not help humans to understand what the entire world is, what the entirety of the world is. So I’ve always liked science, but because I was always very much interested in what the world is for humans, my interest has shifted more towards art.”

Opened in June, teamLab SuperNature Macao is the largest non-gaming attraction within the Venetian Macao casino and entertainment complex. How will teamLab operate differently in a permanent space compared to the more usual temporary spaces? Very differently, is the answer. First of all, financially. The amount that can be spent on art differs tremendously between temporary and permanent exhibits.
“Permanent exhibitions allow us to create a space from scratch,” said Inoko. “With temporary exhibits, there is already a pre-existing space and we localise our artworks to fit that space. Definitely, an opportunity where art can come first means a lot more.”
STYLE Edit: Unravelling Saint Laurent’s daring virtual/offline SS21 campaign
What can visitors to the new, permanent museum at The Venetian look forward to? New work, for sure. Expect experiences such as a floating white mass you can walk into and out of. This cloud is not smoke – smoke is something you don’t really recognise as a “thing”, yet this is a seemingly tangible mass that just happens to be floating in the air, in a room. Even though you feel it’s tangible, you can still walk in and out of it. Surely an experience to look forward to, as soon as travel resumes.
When he graduated from college, Inoko wanted to create a space to express himself, a space for experimentation where different specialists could co-create together by crossing their own boundaries of knowledge and specialities. The name teamLab suggests a lab to experiment in collaborative creation.

“With teamLab I actually did not set the bar too high. What I did back then was create artworks at night. During the day we had clients who we provided with the technology and creations they asked for. This sustained our lab. At night I kept creating what I thought was most meaningful. I wasn’t really expecting any return from my nighttime creativity.”
However, the founder and artist had already subconsciously prioritised his art above commercial projects. At the same time, teamLab had no stockholders, so had no targets to aim for. As teamLab is about shortening the distance between people and art, the collective was constantly asking what impact their art had on those who experienced it.
Why art galleries won’t survive after coronavirus – unless they adapt
“As teamLab, we do not really know what kind of experience we’ve been able to deliver to our visitors. What we are hoping to deliver to visitors is a perception where people would not feel the boundaries between themselves and the world. For instance, when you watch a movie, there is a world beyond the screen which means the movie becomes a boundary between the viewer and the world that exists beyond that screen.”

Those who have visited teamLab exhibitions will know that the screen does not create that type of boundary, but instead offers an ambiguous experience – more precisely, an experience that intentionally makes the boundaries between yourself and the art ambiguous, reducing the distance between subject and art. “Art is often overlooked as an important subject in school,” Inoko said.
“The process of science is to break things apart, break things into pieces, to understand what the original thing is. The more we divide into pieces to understand what that existence is, the further we go from the entirety, the bigger picture of what it is. Art, on the other side, is a process of trying to perceive that existence as a part of continuity, even though it is just a part of it – but art is a way for humans to try to perceive the entirety of continuity. And by sharing this experience with others, that could change our perception of the world.”
Want more stories like this? Sign up here. Follow STYLE on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter .


The inspiring story of Hong Kong dancer and filmmaker who began at 48 after leaving Apple

The tragic Qing dynasty politician whose legacy lives on in descendant’s new novel

16th Gwangju Biennale rises above controversies as one of art world’s best in recent years

Why France’s Louvre Museum is looking East to help fund its €1 billion transformation

New post-Covid-19 travel plan: teamLab’s Instagrammable art show in Macau is a mesmerising digital creation  that proves science and art go hand in hand, according to founder Toshiyuki Inoko

Multi Jumping Universe, one of the interactive digital installations created by teamLab Photo: teamLab

Inverted Globe Graffiti Nature, Red List, 2019, at The Venetian Macao, Macao © teamLab Photo: teamLab

Flowers Bloom in an Infinite Universe inside a Teacup, 2016 © teamLab Photo: teamLab

teamLab founder and visionary, Toshiyuki Inoko Photo: teamLab

Expanding Three-Dimensional Existence in Transforming Space - Flattening 3 Colors and 9 Blurred Colors, Free Floating, 2018, at The Venetian Macao, Macao © teamLab Photo: teamLab

7 hot new Hong Kong restaurants to try as dining restrictions relax – plus foodie staycation deals, a sustainable bar and chocolate masterclass

China Tang’s Chrysanthemum Quintet Menu is one of STYLE’s hot picks for responsible dining out in October 2020. Photo: China Tang

Wok-fried Wagyu beef accompanied by deep-fried whole chrysanthemum flower. Photo: China Tang

Bone-in rib-eye. Photo: Beefbar

Agung Prabowo and Roman Ghale. Photo Penicillin

Pizza selection Photo: Fiamma

Mixed seafood paella. Photo: Pastis Tapas

Smoked Sardine Fillet with Summer Veggiesand Toast. Photo: Ole

Tokyo storefront of Tempura Uchitsu to be opened on the top floor of the Four Seasons. Photo: Tempura Uchitsu

Hong Kong’s first ‘sustainable’ bar Penicillin: second-hand furniture, bills by email and leftover cocktail ingredients made into hand sanitiser, from the team behind Asia’s 50 Best Bars award-winner The Old Man

Agung Prabowo, one of the founders of The Old Man, says new venue Penicillin will be “the first sustainable bar” in Hong Kong. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

Roman Ghale (left) and Agung Prabowo ponder their next move having risen to the top in Asia with The Old Man. Photo: Handout

The old Baby Buddha bar at Wo On Lane, Central. Dead & will open in the same space in November. Photo: SCMP

The interior of The Old Man Bar in Central. 21SEP20 SCMP / K. Y. Cheng

Ralph Lauren, Burberry, Hugo Boss, Yamamoto and other luxury fashion brands have traditionally depended on third-party retailers – here’s why they should be focusing on digital

Burberry's first social media-friendly retail store in Shenzen, China. Photo: Inside Retail Asia/YouTube

A delivery of boxes is wheeled as shoppers walk towards a Neiman Marcus as pre-Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday shopping accelerates at the King of Prussia Mall in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, U.S. November 22, 2019. REUTERS/Mark Makela

FILE PHOTO: A woman buys a Louis Vuitton bag in a shop in Singapore May 19, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas White/File Photo GLOBAL BUSINESS WEEK AHEAD SEARCH GLOBAL BUSINESS 9 OCT FOR ALL IMAGES

--2. GIRL POWER-- A model presents a creation for Christian Dior during the 2017 Spring/Summer ready-to-wear collection fashion show, on September 30, 2016 in Paris. / AFP PHOTO / FRANCOIS GUILLOT

--IMAGE CAPTURED FROM VIDEO-- Burberry's Digital London Store. Photo: VisionAIRblog/ Youtube

People queue to enter the Chanel boutique at a department store amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Seoul, South Korea, May 13, 2020. REUTERS/Minwoo Park

FILE - This Saturday, May, 8 2010 file photo shows a general view of Harrods department store in London. A woman from Azerbaijan who spent 16 million pounds ($21 million) at luxury London department store Harrods over the course of a decade has become the first target of a British power to seize money from people suspected of getting their wealth through corruption. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)

FILE - In this Friday, Nov. 25, 2016, file photo, shoppers walk by a Neiman Marcus Last Call department store in Miami. Neiman Marcus is focusing on offering more exclusive merchandise and more personalized offers to drive sales as it goes it alone to turn around its business. The department store chain confirmed Tuesday, June 13, 2017, that talks for a partial sale or outright purchase of the company have ended. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz, File)

Should staycations include pets? We review the W Hong Kong’s new animal-friendly and totally Instagrammable hotel package, Pets Are Welcome

Re-paw-ter Brooke reviews the W Hong Kong's Pets Are Welcome programme. Photo: Jacqueline Tsang

The W Hong Kong launches its Pets Are Welcome programme. Photo: Jacqueline Tsang

Brooke has always enjoyed high thread count sheets. Photo: Jacqueline Tsang

As part of the W's Pets Are Welcome programme, the hotel set up a yellow teepee with Brooke’s name on it, complete with a brand new banana chew toy. Photo: Jacqueline Tsang

"W Hotel Hong Kong's sweet treats for humans and ice cream for dogs"

We decided against leaving our dog alone in the room, and opted for a walk instead. Photo: Alex Compton

Brooke would be happy to stay at the W again. Photo: Jacqueline Tsang

The W is known for its hi-tech elevator floors. Photo: Jacqueline Tsang

The W's Pet Munchies menu. Photo: Jacqueline Tsang

The WOOF! feeding mat with food and water bowls. Photo: Jacqueline Tsang

The hotel offers dog beds for pets who can’t fit into the tent. Photo: W Hong Kong

The West Kowloon Promenade is the best spot for a quick dog walk when staying at the W. Photo: Alex Compton

Magazines

Style

Leisure

Tech & Design

The largest non-gaming attraction at the Venetian Macao casino is the spectacular teamLab SuperNature Macao permanent show – launched this year, it’s the product of artists, engineers, mathematicians, animators and architects


Toshiyuki Inoko mobilised an international collective of programmers, artists, engineers, mathematicians, CG animators and architects to put together teamLab’s recently launched permanent Macau show
