• Subscribe
  • Magazines
  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
Tuesday 3 June 2025
  • zh-hant 中文
  • ja 日本語
  • en English
IAG
Advertisement
  • Newsfeed
  • Mag Articles
  • Video
  • Opinion
  • Tags
  • Regional
    • Africa
    • Australia
    • Cambodia
    • China
    • CNMI
    • Europe
    • Hong Kong
    • India
    • Japan
    • Laos
    • Latin America
    • Malaysia
    • Macau
    • Nepal
    • New Zealand
    • North America
    • North Korea
    • Philippines
    • Russia
    • Singapore
    • South Korea
    • Sri Lanka
    • Thailand
    • UAE
    • Vietnam
  • Events
  • Contributors
  • SUBSCRIBE FREE
  • 日本語
No Result
View All Result
IAG
  • Newsfeed
  • Mag Articles
  • Video
  • Opinion
  • Tags
  • Regional
    • Africa
    • Australia
    • Cambodia
    • China
    • CNMI
    • Europe
    • Hong Kong
    • India
    • Japan
    • Laos
    • Latin America
    • Malaysia
    • Macau
    • Nepal
    • New Zealand
    • North America
    • North Korea
    • Philippines
    • Russia
    • Singapore
    • South Korea
    • Sri Lanka
    • Thailand
    • UAE
    • Vietnam
  • Events
  • Contributors
  • SUBSCRIBE FREE
  • 日本語
No Result
View All Result
IAG
No Result
View All Result

Tokyo without Borders

Newsdesk by Newsdesk
Mon 28 Jan 2019 at 18:47
Tokyo without Borders
3
SHARES
84
VIEWS
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

With candidate Japan IR operators universally touting their intention to incorporate Japanese cultural attractions into their future designs, local firm teamLab is demonstrating just how the country’s modern art scene can be incorporated into such large-scale developments.

TeamLab has been creating digital artwork since its establishment in 2001. While simultaneously running a mainstream art business selling the artwork they create to collectors through galleries, they also have many space works that are difficult to “own”, so they have been developing art museum exhibits and performance-type pieces using the world as their stage.

A recent success includes a permanent exhibit in Singapore and they have also produced large scale exhibitions in the United States. While busy with their international art activities, teamLab found itself wanting to set up “some sort of big, permanent exhibit in Tokyo”. The result was the “Mori Building DIGITAL ART MUSEUM: EPSON teamLab Borderless”.

teamLab Borderless is making waves as a brand new “Tokyo magnetic field” that is attracting people from all over the world. This is a world where you can wander, explore and make new discoveries, without a single border.

“At first we were fumbling around with no idea about the size of the space we wanted, or even what experience we were going to provide,” explains Akitae Matsumoto, representative of teamLab Kids and part of the project team that created the one-of-a-kind museum.

“We didn’t have any experience creating pieces for a massive 10,000 square-meter location and it was also our first time even trying to tie together a variety of individual works into a borderless form. Until this project, an individual piece of art has always been exhibited in its own space, but teamLab Borderless is created based on the concept of presenting all work, even new ones, together without borders, launching a single, comprehensive experience throughout the entire building.”

The concept looms as an intriguing one for Japan’s future IR operators who have already stated their desire to incorporate unique Japanese cultural and artistic elements into their IR designs. Likewise, IRs present a potential opportunity for teamLab to further explore such expansive spaces.

“It started off with brainstorming at teamLab about what we could do in a 10,000 square-meter space,” Matsumoto continues. “That was around three years ago. After that the details gradually came together a little at a time. The point is that it all started with searching for a 10,000 square-meter space. We just started with the idea that we wanted to exhibit something in a 10,000 square-meter space, then we discussed the cost required to make that a reality and what types of art pieces we would be able to incorporate.”

To make teamLab Borderless a reality, the company sought out the assistance of Taichi Tsuchihashi, manager of Yamashita PMC Inc. Headquarters for Promotion of Business Creation, 4th Division, to oversee project management.

Tsuchihashi’s first task was to locate a space big enough to house teamLab’s ideas – not only covering 10,000 square-meters but also with ceilings 10 to 15 meters high. That space ended up being in Odaiba and the result, Tsuchihashi says, is something completely unique to the local Japanese art scene.

“People may go to Barcelona to see Picasso, but you don’t see a lot of people coming to Japan for art,” he explains. “That is one of the reasons that teamLab art exhibitions have a strong Japanese presence and hopefully fulfill a role in Tokyo that never existed before. I think it can be accepted as work that gives an impression of Japan to visitors to Tokyo from overseas.”

Noting that teamLab Borderless had already reached 1 million visitors within the first five months of operations, Tsuchihashi says, “It’s possible that past teamLab art exhibitions were more highly regarded overseas than they were in Japan. I feel the social value of art has always been lower in Japan than in Europe and the US. With all of this in mind, this is the first time an artist – teamLab – has invested, assumed the risk of and operated a museum-like facility as a private business.

“So the fact that teamLab was able to make its idea into a reality and has been able to provide a new art museum to the people, as a private business, it’s possible that Japan’s values for viewing art will change dramatically. If we’re going to call for tourists to visit Tokyo, Japan, we need these kinds of appealing places.”

Published with permission of HOTERES

RelatedPosts

Editorial – The real reason Philippines casino revenues are down

Editorial – The real reason Philippines casino revenues are down

Sun 30 Mar 2025 at 23:04
Inside Thai IRs

Inside Thai IRs

Sun 30 Mar 2025 at 22:59
Resorts World Las Vegas – Lighting up the north

Resorts World Las Vegas – Lighting up the north

Sun 30 Mar 2025 at 22:52
A baccarat perspective

A baccarat perspective

Sun 30 Mar 2025 at 22:37
Load More
Tags: Current IssueirJapanteamLab
Share1Share
Newsdesk

Newsdesk

The IAG Newsdesk team comprises some of the most experienced journalists in the Asian gaming industry. Offering a broad range of expertise, their decades of combined know-how spans multiple countries across a variety of topics.

Current Issue

Editorial – The real reason Philippines casino revenues are down

Editorial – The real reason Philippines casino revenues are down

by Ben Blaschke
Sun 30 Mar 2025 at 23:04

After enjoying a post-COVID surge in gaming revenues at its licensed casinos, the Philippines has hit a rocky patch. In...

Inside Thai IRs

Inside Thai IRs

by Andrew W Scott and Ben Blaschke
Sun 30 Mar 2025 at 22:59

No time to read this whole article? Here are the bullet points! With passage of Thailand’s Entertainment Complex Bill through...

Resorts World Las Vegas – Lighting up the north

Resorts World Las Vegas – Lighting up the north

by Andrew W Scott and Ben Blaschke
Sun 30 Mar 2025 at 22:52

Inside Asian Gaming recently visited Genting’s American icon Resorts World Las Vegas to take a closer look at a property...

A baccarat perspective

A baccarat perspective

by Ryan Hong-Wai Ho
Sun 30 Mar 2025 at 22:37

In the first of a two-part series, Ryan Ho explores how gaming innovations and market changes have shaped the prominence...

Evolution Asia
Aristocrat
GLI
Mindslot
Solaire
Hann
Tecnet
Nustar
Jumbo

Related Posts

Inside Thai IRs

Inside Thai IRs

by Andrew W Scott and Ben Blaschke
Sun 30 Mar 2025 at 22:59

No time to read this whole article? Here are the bullet points! With passage of Thailand’s Entertainment Complex Bill through parliament gathering pace as the nation looks to further boost its international tourism appeal, the prospect of a legalized casino...

Resorts World Las Vegas – Lighting up the north

Resorts World Las Vegas – Lighting up the north

by Andrew W Scott and Ben Blaschke
Sun 30 Mar 2025 at 22:52

Inside Asian Gaming recently visited Genting’s American icon Resorts World Las Vegas to take a closer look at a property that hasn’t yet lived up to the hype but which offers undoubted potential as a star of the North Las...

Baby steps

Baby steps

by Pierce Chan
Sat 29 Mar 2025 at 10:20

Despite receiving policy support from China’s central government, Hengqin is still struggling to fulfil its potential as a business hub and to fully integrate with neighboring Macau. IAG examines the key challenges and what must be done to ensure Hengqin...

Grand designs

Grand designs

by Ben Blaschke
Sat 29 Mar 2025 at 10:11

Clark’s Hann Casino Resort has unveiled to Inside Asian Gaming a new Canyon Casino concept that will become the main attraction when a major expansion of the existing casino space is completed in the next 12 months. Philippine integrated resort...



IAG

© 2005-2024
Inside Asian Gaming.
All rights reserved.

  • SUBSCRIBE FREE
  • NEWSFEED
  • MAG ARTICLES
  • VIDEO
  • OPINION
  • TAGS
  • REGIONAL
  • EVENTS
  • CONSULTING
  • CONTRIBUTORS
  • MAGAZINES
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • ADVERTISE
  • 日本語

No Result
View All Result
  • 日本語
  • Subscribe
  • Newsfeed
  • Mag Articles
  • Video
  • Opinion
  • Tags
  • Regional
  • Events
  • Contributors
  • Magazines
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • About
  • Home for G2E Asia

© 2005-2024
Inside Asian Gaming.
All rights reserved.

  • English
  • 日本語