Art + Design

Waves of Wonder: Nuvali and teamLab make a splash with the Nuvali teamLab Water: Interactive Water Show

Nuvali and teamLab collaborate to present an immersive, festive splash of digital art at Nuvali Globe Lakeside

November 21, 2019

Gabrielle De La Cruz

Here’s a good reason to drive down south this weekend! Granted with an exclusive preview of this magical water extravaganza, here’s what you can expect from the Nuvali and world-famous teamLab’s collaboration, the Nuvali teamLab Water: Interactive Water Show.

teamLab presents bursts of colors and exploding images in a 30-minute interactive water show comprised of four artworks: Born from the Water, a Loving and Beautiful World, Water Scrolls: Genpei Yashima Battle, teamLab Interactive Fishing Party: Spin your Fishing Reel – Water Screen, and Reversible Rotation in Water. The first and third works are interactive shows where audiences get to contribute to the flow and aesthetic of the digital art exhibition while the other two are dimensional plays that narrate and mirror Japanese history and tradition.

The second act, Water Scrolls: Genpei Yashima Battle, narrates the history of the Genpei War and the Battle of Yashima with calligraphy by Sisyu, narration by Yoshiko Sakata and sound by Hideaki Takahashi and Biwa.

“The digital technology allows art to transcend its boundaries. Anything can become a medium and people can participate in the artwork and become sort of part of the world, together,” shares teamLab. “If you download the application, you will understand more about the technology. There, you will see our output, how it works, and you can also participate in the show. We also came up with it so that we can always work together no matter where we are,” adds teamLab Communications Director Kudo Takashi.

Interactive Fishing Party: Spin your Fishing Reel allows the audience to capture fishes by spinning the reels on their mobile phones. Towards the end of the act, all audiences join in to catch the giant fish.

The digital installation boasts a massive projection of 100 meters by 15 meters. When asked about the processes and intricacies of the technology used, Takashi prefers that people see it as magic, saying that it is only the magician who will ever know the trick. “The process is a combination of many interactions of applications, software animations, and the actual installation.”

The teamLab art collective is comprised of roughly 650 specialists from a variety of fields including animation, hardware and software, engineering, architecture, and mathematics.

Within the second act is The Tale of the Heike, one which narrates the struggle between the Taira clan and Minamoto clan for control of Japan. It tells the story of a Taira lady on a boat who placed a fan above a pole, challenging Minamoto to knock it off.

For a full month, Nuvali and teamLab dedicated their time and effort to prepare the necessary infrastructure while making sure that no harm will come to the natural surrounds, testing the technological aspects such as wifi, sound system, and projectors to ensure a flawless and fantastic run. “The lake here is beautiful. This is also a factor that contributes to the beauty of the show because for outdoor set-up, we are very particular with the environment, the natural setting,” shares Takashi. “We had to make sure that our painting was right because here, our canvas is nature itself.”

Nuvali Globe Lakeside. The best viewing area is on the east side of the lake where one can see the entire art exhibition and experience the multi-sensory show.

In between the exhibitions of teamLab, a digital art exhibition entitled “Sayaw ng Parol” is played to pay tribute to Filipino Christmas tradition.

Showcasing art in its various manifestations, teamLab seeks to inform and entrance its viewers, laying bare the possibilties art offers as a universal visual language. “Our work is not just one-way, we want people to participate,” shares Takashi. “We want to inspire young people to create something that will make people happy.”

The Nuvali teamLab Interactive Water Show will run year-round starting November 22, 2019 (Friday). Shows run from 6:00 PM-9:00 PM from Fridays-Sundays. Admission is FREE.

The Nuvali teamLab Water app can be downloaded on all IOS and android devices.

Photographed by Ed Simon of Studio 100

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