{"id":8579,"date":"2026-10-01T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/?p=8579"},"modified":"2026-10-01T05:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T12:00:00","slug":"in-chicago-teamlab-expands-our-perceptions-through-boundary-breaking-installations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/?p=8579","title":{"rendered":"In Chicago, teamLab Expands Our Perceptions Through Boundary-Breaking Installations"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"In<\/p>\n

Against a patchwork wall of hammered copper, a black veil appears to billow in mesmerizing motion. The fabric-like layer writhes and twists against the glimmering backdrop, revealing its diaphanous texture as it unfolds to translucence. Like a curtain flapping in an open window, the digital projection floats across the metallic surface of one of teamLab<\/a>\u2019s latest works.<\/p>\n

Part of teamLab: Everything Exists in Infinite Continuity<\/em> at the Smart Museum of Art<\/a>, \u201cSea of Darkness, Memory Shining from the Depths\u201d is one of several new commissions from the international art collective<\/a>. Founded by Toshiyuki Inoko in 2001, teamLab consists of hundreds of artists, animators, musicians, mathematicians, developers, engineers, and more who tap into the provocative intersection of art, science, and technology.<\/p>\n

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The collective has long been interested in the limits of human perception and imagination. Through interactive and immersive installations, they invite viewers into a world where boundaries are suspended and continuity in space and time are key. teamLab was one of the earliest adopters of incorporating digital technologies into experiential works, and they continue to use basic software and programs most people have access to. <\/p>\n

Today, encountering such elegant, yet technologically simple digital works is rare as we witness the exponential rise of AI and a collective outsourcing of much of our lives. In contrast to the tech evangelists and the luddites, teamLab\u2019s approach is decidedly human without eschewing the digital. Works like \u201cOrder in Chaos\u201d respond to physical touch, shooting a cacophony of vibrant lines across the floor, walls, and a grid of screens in the gallery. Riotous in energy, the piece \u201cis an attempt to expand painting from a completed image, or a perspective illusion of space, into a spatiotemporal pictorial space that is continuous with the real space,\u201d the collective says.<\/p>\n

Bridging divides between time and location also emerges in \u201cContinuous Life and Death at the Now of Eternity II,\u201d which corresponds to its current exhibition\u2019s environment. While on view in Chicago, for example, the floral piece brightens as the sun rises and darkens when it sets. As fall turns to winter, so will the ecosystem on the screen.<\/p>\n

Closing the exhibition is one of teamLab\u2019s most ingenious pieces, \u201cThe World of Irreversible Change.\u201d Depicting a serene animated community as it goes about its day, the paneled digital work is programmed to respond to human touch by triggering a year-long, irreversible state of war and bloodshed between the inhabitants if the piece is tapped too many times. Several editions of \u201cThe World of Irreversible Change\u201d were created, although the iteration on view at the Smart Museum is the only to exist in its original, pristine condition (it\u2019s understandably cordoned off for preservation).<\/p>\n

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As Inoko tells us during a walkthrough of the exhibition, when the battle breaks out, the community can never return to its quieter days of peace. Eventually, all the people die, and the once thriving metropolis turns desolate. After a few years, shrubs begin to pop up and later still, bird song rings through the skies. But humanity never returns, a poetic if not cautionary tale for our era.<\/p>\n

teamLab: Everything Exists in Infinite Continuity<\/em> is on view through February 21 at the Smart Museum of Art. Explore more of teamLab\u2019s works on its website<\/a> and YouTube<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
\"a
\u201cSea of Darkness, Memory Shining from the Depths\u201d (2026)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
\u201cMassless Suns and Dark Suns\u201d (2022-ongoing)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
\u201cThe World of Irreversible Change\u201d (2022)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
\u201cOrder in Chaos\u201d (2026)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
\u201cDissipative Figures \u2013 Human\u201d (2026)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member<\/a> today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article In Chicago, teamLab Expands Our Perceptions Through Boundary-Breaking Installations<\/a> appeared first on Colossal<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Against a patchwork wall of hammered copper, a black veil appears to billow in mesmerizing motion. The fabric-like layer writhes and twists against the glimmering backdrop, revealing its diaphanous texture…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8579","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rss"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8579","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8579"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8579\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8579"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8579"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8579"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}