GoKunming Articles

TeamLab "Future Amusement Park"

By in Features on

Yesterday we visited the launch of the first TeamLab "Future Amusement Park" immersive installation in Kunming, at the recently opened landmark shopping mall Hanglung Plaza.

TeamLab

TeamLab — founded in 2001 — is an international art collective, based in China, Singapore and Japan. As an interdisciplinary group of ultra-technologists they seek to navigate the confluence of art, science, technology, design and the natural world through a collaborative practice. Various specialists such as artists, programmers, engineers, CG animators, mathematicians and architects form TeamLab.

TeamLab aims to explore a new relationship between humans and nature, and between oneself and the world through art. Digital technology has allowed art to liberate itself from the physical and transcend boundaries. TeamLab sees no boundary between humans and nature, and between oneself and the world; one is in the other and the other in one. Everything exists in a long, fragile yet miraculous, borderless continuity of life.

At the opening ceremony yesterday Mr. Matsumoto Mina — representing TeamLab Japan — explained the inspiration and significance of this art exhibition. He said:

TeamLab focuses on exploring the relationship between people and positive possibilities. We hope that by experiencing the fun of creative activities, people can be more creative in their daily lives.

Future Amusement Park

To this end TeamLab designed and built an immersive dream world, a future amusement park that blends nature, creativity and art. The different installations are "Graffiti Nature - Mountains and Valleys", "Painted Towns", "The Story of the Ancient Spirits", "Genius Hopscotch", "Fruit Garden Slide" and "The Light Ball Orchestra".

It is an interesting experience, stepping into the darkened room, which is alive with moving day-glo projections on soft and sloping surfaces. A bit like stepping into an underwater world, or a sophisticated after-party space.

Every installation is interactive, meaning you can add your own creativity by drawing or movement. Drawings are scanned on the spot and hey presto: the outline of the frog you just colored in has come to life, and starts swimming across the installation.

The creatures born from drawings will eat other creatures, then start to reproduce and prosper. In this way you become one of the creators of the natural world you see around you in the installation.

Alternatively you can touch, hopscotch or slide across the installations and color bursts will start exploding around you.

There is a mirrored room, filled with gigantic light-pulsating balls. The hypnotizing sounds you hear around you change, according to your interaction with the soft and bouncing balls.

Another installation lets you add your drawing of a building to a virtual city, which gets destroyed by aliens at regular intervals.

It is an interesting experience, for adults as well as children. After a while of playing in the wondrous world of TeamLab, you'll emerge blinking into the bright lights of the Hanglung Plaza shopping mall.

Practical information

Tickets start from 73 RMB for a children's ticket. Purchase your tickets at the venue or here.

Phone: 0871 63165416-39196 or 0871 63165416-39255
Email: DylanJWang at HangLung dot com or SkyYTong at HangLung dot com

The 1000 square meter exhibition hall is on the second floor of the Spring City '66 shopping mall, just off the southeast corner of Dongfeng Square. A total of six interactive works are on display.

The exhibition will last from October 18th to March 1st, 2020.

© Copyright 2005-2024 GoKunming.com all rights reserved. This material may not be republished, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Share this article

Comments

Our new editor is on a roll. Pumping out articles seemly every few days. We appreciate your super work ethic. Thank you!

This TeamLab future amusement park looks like a place where children would enjoy. Per Vera's descriptions, an unique interactive medium to unleash your child's creativity. Heck, the kid in me would be just as giddy. Being immersed in all that glow in dark black light is already enough to wow me, let alone DIY art works animated into life and interacting with others. Pretty cool.

For parents thinking about where to take their hyperactive kids with too much pent up energy, the new Aegean Shopping Mall on Baiyun Road No. 168 features a sizable ice skating ring with ice hockey classes what not. Also, another enormous two storey jungle cage with zip lines, trampolines, and assortment of bouncy objects & balls, and challenging climbing obstacles to satisfy the inner ape in all of us.

Since we're on the subject of Hang Lung Spring 66, Crystal Jade Golden Palace restaurant on the 6th floor may be worth a visit after experiencing TeamLab on the 2nd floor.

Their sister restaurant in Singapore received a Michelin one star:

guide.michelin.com/[...]

Acclaimed dishes are their BBQ pork (炒烧肉) hung on racks. The dongpo meat (东坡肉) looks succulent. The sweet sour pinnaple fried and cooked fish is also tasty. Portions of other dishes like steamed eggplants are quite generous and delicious as well. A group of staffers can be seen preparing steamed pork buns (小笼包) behind see-through glass.

If you're closer to Nanya mall, Crystal Jade has a store there too, I think. And another one somewhere else in Kunming.

Login to comment