Aside from Tokyo’s teamLab Borderless and teamLab Planets museums, the world-renowned digital art collective has an assortment of exhibitions across Japan, some of which are embedded in lush nature, such as the awe-inspiring A Forest Where Gods Live in Kyushu. Now, teamLab just unveiled yet another immersive digital art exhibition in the great outdoors – and this time, it’s at a picturesque rice terrace in Izura, Ibaraki prefecture.
Opened on September 30, the highly-anticipated installation features an old rice field that was transformed into a stunning, large-scale light art installation known as teamLab: Hidden Traces of Rice Terraces.
The new artwork is inspired by the scenic Izura Coast, where renowned scholar and art critic Tenshin Okakura (1863-1913) settled down in his later years.
This unique landscape was highly regarded by Okakura and is known for its beautiful topography, which includes a secret rice terrace hidden in a forest deep in a valley. As the terrace is no longer used for farming rice, teamLab turned this gorgeous area into an art experience.
In addition to the rice terrace, the area also features another teamLab project known as Digitized Nature, which showcases how our natural environment can become one with art. The project explores how non-material digital technology can meld together nature and art without harming any of the natural surroundings.
You'll be able to walk around the forest surrounding the rice terrace to discover these immersive Digitized Nature installations. These works examine the existence of forms, on how they can be used to create a space that transcends boundaries and influence our understanding of the continuity of time.
Additionally, a new hot spring facility also opened concurrently with the art installation. Here you can enjoy the beauty of the forest after dark and even stay overnight.
The opening time for teamLab: Hidden Traces of Rice Terraces varies by season. For this time of year, the exhibit will run from 6pm-10pm (September 30-October 25) and 5.30pm-10pm (October 26-31). To get there from Tokyo, take the JR Joban Line limited express train to Isohara Station. The exhibition site is another 15 minutes away by taxi.
Entry is ¥2,200 per person (children ¥800). For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the website.
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