TeamLab: LIFE – A Must-See Exhibition in Seoul

World-famous art collective TeamLab recently opened an exhibition at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul. TeamLab was founded in Tokyo in the year 2001, and it has hundreds of artists, mathematicians, CG artists, animators, engineers, architects, etc. working to present to the world a beautiful junction of art, nature, science, and technology. Their Teamlab life exhibition is going on in Seoul.

The theme of Teamlab life Exhibition

TeamLab explores the connections between the world and oneself and new conception via art. To get a better grasp of the world, we as humans tend to separate it into autonomous units with distinguishing boundaries between them. TeamLab aims to exceed these boundaries in our view of the connection between the world, oneself, and the time’s continuity. It is their vision to make us believe that everything lives in a miraculous, borderless, and delicate harmony of life.

Famous Artworks in Teamlab life

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they decided the theme of the exhibition to be LIFE. It showcases works that relate to civilization’s relationship with nature. Amidst the chaos, it is such a breath of fresh air.

Universe of Water Particles

Among its work, Universe of Water Particles, Transcending Boundaries, shows water falling from the ceiling and as you step ahead, touching the wall, the water will part. The movement of people influences the flow of water, which is why the visuals are endless and non-replicating.

The flowers and People, Cannot be Controlled but Live Together – Transcending

Another work, Flowers and People, Cannot be Controlled but Live Together-Transcending Boundaries, A Whole Year per Hour, shows a cycle of life and death as you step in to seemingly a field of flowers.

During the lockdown, nature is one of the many things that we didn’t get to experience to its fullest. This exhibition gives you a chance to do that. Hundreds of sunflowers will blossom around you, but as you step into this field these flowers will scatter and die. If you stay in one place you can see them blooming. The sunflowers will change into different flowers over the course of one hour to another flower. During this hour the flower will grow, bloom and then die as the season change.

Black Waves: Immersive Waves

Black Waves: Immersive Waves, has no end or a beginning, it is a single continuous wave. This brings a calm feeling to oneself, almost like meditation. It moves and flows in a continuum back and forth across the entire room.

Continuous Life and Death at the Crossover of Eternity

One of the works in Teamlab life; Continuous Life and Death at the Crossover of Eternity, the flowers in this work will bloom and die in a continuous cycle. They will die on your touch and bloom when comes in contact with one another

Proliferating Immense Life

Proliferating Immense Life is a display of massive flowers, which you can watch for hours. Like other flower works, the death and bloom cycle repeats and as you touch them they will die. In this work, flowers begin to grow and multiply and when they completely fill the space, they start to scatter and die so that other flowers can grow.

This artwork is made by a computer program in real-time and is not pre-recorded, which means there is no repetition.

Animals of Flowers Symbiotic Lives II

Another beautiful artwork display, Animals of Flowers Symbiotic Lives II, has flowers bloom and they change as an indication of season’s change.  From these flowers, animals are born.

When you touch the flowers in this work, their petals will fall, if people touch too much then the flower will lose a lot of petals, and the animal born from it will eventually die and vanish as well.

Flutter of Butterflies Beyond Borders

The Flutter of Butterflies Beyond Borders, Life Born on the Other Side is a beautiful and immersive artwork. A flock of butterflies is born as people enter the space; they dance around, crossing the glass boundary, and entering the exhibition hall. However, they will die upon touching a person.

It depends on the existence of people, as you will see darkness and nothingness in this space when there is no one present.

Other Artworks in Teamlab life Exhibition

Other creative and immersive artworks from the TeamLab LIFE exhibition include ‘Beating Earth’ and ‘Living Creatures of Flowers, Shifting Valley, Living Creatures of Flowers, Symbiotic Lives.’

The Teamlab life exhibition was quite enjoyable and gorgeous to look at. Time passed like seconds there, you can just stand and watch the changing seasons through flowers for hours without realizing. Every work made me relate with nature a little more, and when the flowers would die upon one touch it made me realize how destructive humans are towards nature.

After months of being stuck at home, this exhibition is like a breath of fresh air. It rejuvenated all of my senses and made me connect with nature like never before. Only a limited number of people go inside at a specific time, so you shouldn’t worry about being unsafe from the virus. Everyone was enjoying themselves taking pictures as it is one of the most insta-worthy places in Seoul.

Encouraging everyone to check the exhibition out, it is very refreshing to go and energize after an intense lockdown. TeamLab Life makes sure that no pattern repeats and the moment you are in never replicates.

Here is another place that you should visit post lockdown.