nemophila: teamlab's digital art installation blooms & glows at botanical garden in osaka

nemophila for a limited time at teamLab Botanical Garden Osaka

‘Life is Flickering Light Floating in the Dark – Nemophila’ is a permanent exhibition installed at the teamLab Botanical Garden, currently found in Osaka’s Nagai Park. The installation is part of teamLab’s ‘Digitized Nature’ project, where ‘nature becomes art as it is’ by immaterial digital technology. ‘By using non-material digital technologies, nature can be turned into living art without harming it’, shares the team at the night museum.

The Nagai Botanical Garden occupies an area of 240,000 sqm and is home to thousands of species of plants, while the lush flora offers amazing sceneries every season. Originally opened in 1974, the garden was closed for several years and reopened on April 1, 2022. When the night falls, the rich vegetation is transformed into a digital art museum, inviting visitors to get immersed in an animated oasis that is constantly blooming. The installations by teamLab are part of the renewal and reopening and seek to demonstrate the magic of nature in every aspect. ‘Nemophila’ is the most recent part of the project and will be exhibited for a limited time.

teamLab, Life is Flickering Light Floating in the Dark – Nemophila © teamLab | all images by teamLab

Nature itself becomes art

Nemophila blooms and shines in the darkness, glowing even brighter when people stop nearby. As people wander around the nemophila flowers, they become a canvas, and the intricate patterns resonate on their figures. ‘If the glow rushes in from the other side, it means there are people over there. People will surely become more aware of the presence of other people in the same space.’

‘Life is Flickering Light Floating in the Dark – Nemophila’ offers a mesmerizing spatial experience where digital means, nature, and human presence seamlessly collaborate. The artworks change interactively, affected by weather conditions as well as the flora and fauna that live in the garden. Visitors become an active part of the exhibition, generating a digitized ecosystem. ‘People and artworks, plants, forests and ponds, ecosystems and environments continue without boundaries,’ added teamLab.

teamLab, Life is Flickering Light Floating in the Dark – Nemophila © teamLab

Walking through the botanical park, visitors will encounter a series of digital art installations that illuminate the area uniquely. Resonating lamps that float on the Oike Lake, a set of oval sculptures that change appearance during the day and after sunset, light ovoids that change color with a simple touch, a series of ‘spatial calligraphy’ drawn in the forest, and a digital flame between the trunks, among other works of art, create a fascinating sensorial experience that calls for exploration, reflection, and discovery.

teamLab, Floating Resonating Lamps on Oike Lake © teamLab