On a recent Monday afternoon, five members of North 24th, masked up and vaccinated, took a trip to San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum to see Continuity, the immersive, interactive exhibit by the Japanese collective: TeamLab.
In a series of darkened rooms, TeamLab explores alternative forms of perception by projecting digital images on every surface–walls, floor, and ceiling. Using their concept of Ultrasubjective Space, a unique multi-dimensional perspective, their work dissolves the boundary between the physical world and the world of the artwork. By fusing art with technology, the viewer merges with the environment and is engulfed by lush cinematic imagery and sensation: flowers, butterflies, birds, stars, even whiffs of floral fragrances.
Here are some thoughts and images from our venture into TeamLab’s world:
Gabrielle Selz: “I feel like I’ve climbed inside an anime…Spirited Away by Hayo Miyazaki.”
Julie Flynn Siler: “It was transportive — a welcome experience after being cooped up for so long. Also a little overwhelming after being cooped up so long!”
Susan Freinkel: “I loved how boundaries dissolved: At moments it felt like the images moved through me.”
Jeanne Carstensen: “I loved wandering through this environment where the images were constantly dissolving and forming and dissolving, with no fixed boundaries or locations.”
Allison Hoover Bartlett: “I went thinking I was going look at art, but instead, I stepped into it. A truly inspiring experience.”
“No boundaries or limitations” sounds inviting, invigorating.