TeamLab Planets TOKYO: A Photographer's Dreamland
Find yourself trying to find some cool spots that aren’t too crowded to shoot? Tokyo has its fair share of unique spots to snap some photos. All you have to do is walk around and bring a couple batteries to last you a while and you are bound to run across a few. Sometimes you get lucky. Some opportunities seem to fall in your lap.
I had always wanted to go to a museum that featured mirrors and lights, much like the ones in Los Angeles and New York. Living in Seoul and now Tokyo, has not given me much opportunities to check it out. Fortunately, while talking with some friends, the idea of going to the Mori Building to see the TeamLAB exhibits in Tokyo peeked our interest. We finally set on a date and we picked the exhibit near shin-toyosu station. While we knew what was in store for us by researching some photos on the website; it was still really cool to experience it in person.
First off, it was organized well. TeamLab had a queue that controlled the foot traffic inside, which made sense because some of the installations were so cool, you wished that you could stay longer to relax or soak it all in. Lockers and small towels were available so you didn't have to worry about your items getting wet. The exhibit featured many rooms with different inspirations. They played with light and music in order to give you a feel of a dream state. One room made me rethink how I organized my apartment to include massive amounts of bean bag chairs just for the heck of it.
There were moments where I felt that I was the only one in an ethereal pond chasing fish and flowers. Another room gave me the impression as if I were all by myself in a universe of art while watching images fly past me. TeamLAB also took inspiration from Japanese calligraphy and in a piece, they used the character for life and intertwined branches and flowers to illustrate the harmony between a letter and the actual meaning. Some of it felt like it was straight out of a scene from TRON. I wonder what it would have been like if they had played the soundtrack…
Musically I think they did an excellent job because they included atmospherical instrumental music to accompany most of the rooms. Although talking was prohibited, many people kept their voices down and appreciated the moment instead of yelled or ran around. Some moments were insanely fun and made you feel as if you were a little kid again playing with balloons or jumping in a bounce house.
I want to thank the creators of Team Lab as well as the numerous employees that work to ensure it’s running smoothly. These employees are the unsung heroes of why this place is so awesome. They direct traffic, assist you as necessary, and point you in the right direction so that this exhibit doesn’t make you feel like you are in the movie Labyrinth with David Bowie. I'd like to think David Bowie would have loved this place if he were still around.
Make sure you purchase your tickets online or through a ticketing kiosk at a convenient store. I was lucky and one of my local friends purchased them for us and we paid her back. If you have any questions, feel free to visit their website. It’s offered in English so it’s fairly easy to navigate through. I'm going to have to visit the other one in Roppongi now! Happy travels all!
-Talks Eats Jams