TeamLab Transforms Historic Kanazawa Castle into a Digital Art Space

The art collective TeamLab will host an immersive digital art exhibition titled “TeamLab: Digitized Kanazawa Castle” at the historic Kanazawa Castle Park in Ishikawa, Japan from September 30 to November 26, 2023.

Interactive Art Installations Merge Past and Present

The exhibition features three interactive art installations that transform the buildings, stone walls and trees of the castle grounds into an illuminated art space using advanced digital technology.

Animals of Flowers, Symbiotic Lives

The first installation titled “Animals of Flowers, Symbiotic Lives” projects images of flowers blooming and forming into animals like tigers and mammoths against the castle’s stone walls. The flower animals interact with each other and walk along the walls.

Enso

In the second installation “Enso”, the minimalist Zen Buddhist circle symbolizing enlightenment is infinitely drawn on the ancient stone walls using calligraphy in light. As the three-dimensional stroke rotates, the circle shape comes in and out of view.

Forest of Autonomous Resonating Life

The third highlight is an interactive ovoid sculpture installation “Forest of Autonomous Resonating Life”, where the standing egg-shaped ovoids lit in colors react to wind and human touch by changing colors and emitting unique sounds. This creates a symphony as colors resonate through the forest of ovoids.

Blending Art, Nature and Technology

The exhibition is part of teamLab’s “Digitized City” project which uses digital technology to turn city spaces into interactive art without altering the landscapes.

At Kanazawa Castle Park, teamLab’s installations blend art, nature and technology as the artworks change with wind, rain and human interactions. The interplay creates a sense of continuity between people, nature and the past within the grounds of the over 450-year-old castle.

Key Details

• Dates: September 30 – November 26, 2023
• Timings: 6 pm to 9:30 pm daily (last entry at 8:45 pm)
• Venue: Kanazawa Castle Park, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan
• Tickets: Yet to open, separate prices for weekdays and weekends/holidays. Weekday tickets ¥1600 for adults, ¥800 for students.
• Organizers: Agency for Cultural Affairs, Ishikawa Prefectural Government, Ishikawa National Cultural Festival Executive Committee

The digitally reimagined Kanazawa Castle aims to be an illuminating experience for both local and international visitors through TeamLab’s immersive installations. The juxtaposition of forward-looking digital art against a historically significant landscape creates a unique way to experience the heritage site.