teamLab: Digital Playgrounds

Abstract

Defined as the participation in an activity for pleasure or recreation, play can serve a greater purpose especially in art forms that express more intangible concepts. I propose the idea of play as a relational tool for the investigation and understanding of interactive artwork. Playfulness characterizes the digital installations of the Tokyo-based art collective teamLab (est. 2001). Melding premodern Japanese pictorial traditions with current digital processes, teamLab’s installations function like playgrounds. Anyone who plays can interact with game-like elements in artificial environments. Visitors wander inside artworks that are projection-mapped into gallery spaces outfitted with sensors that are triggered by touch or motion. The collective encourages people to play since this act is crucial to processing their works. Each artwork has the objective of being social environments where the presence of others is a positive experience rather than a hindrance. Inside these digital playgrounds, opportunities arise for transcendence, joy, and connection.