virtual vegetation: teamlab brings blossoming green tea to maison et objet

teamlab has brought an immersive and ever-changing digital art experience to maison et objet 2017 in paris this september. in collaboration with en tea — a newly launched green tea brand from the hizen province of japan — teamlab’s installation sees an endless bounty of flowers and botanical life grow and blossom inside a cup once tea is poured inside. as visitors move the vessel or pick it up, floral petals scatter and spread across the table and surrounding area. 

flowers and botanical life grow and blossom inside a cup once tea is poured inside

at maison&objet, visitors can taste the green tea and engage with the digital installation’s multi-sensory experience. artwork in the form of virtual flowers appears for the first time when tea is poured in the cup; however, when the drink is gone, the images disappear with it. the visuals are rendered in real time by a computer program and do not follow prerecorded video footage.

petals scatter and spread across the table and surrounding area when the cup is moved 

instead, the movement of the blooms is directly influenced by the viewers, their behavior bringing about continual change and transformation. a single moment between the visitor and their cup of tea can never be seen again and will never be repeated.

visitors to the installation can enjoy the experience of tasting the new green tea

for the project, teamlab is spotlighting en tea — a new brand of green tea grown in the southern japanese province of hizen. the product has been created as a result of a collaboration between talented young tea master shunichi matsuo, and maruwakaya, a brand which brings together japanese traditional culture and artisans. ‘en tea’ developed its own farming and production methods to maintain the nutritional properties of the leaf.

a single moment between the visitor and their cup of tea can never be seen again

presented outside of the installation, jasper morrison and wataru kumano collaborated to create ‘stool’ in celebration of the 10th anniversary of more trees — an organization focused on forest conservation. visitors to the installation and café space ‘green tea from forest’ at maison & objet were invited to sit on the stools and drink individually crafted tea beverages.

the movement of the blooms is directly influenced by the viewers

visitors’ behavior brings about continual change and transformation

‘en eating green tea’ is an edible tea that was developed to maintain the benefit of the harvest’s natural nutrients