This is a video of teamLab’s shimmering Wander through the Crystal Universe, part of their DMM.PLANETS Art installation in Tokyo. It’s a serene space that seems to exist in some heretofore unseen, sparkling other galaxy. And it’s disorientingly beautiful.
Floor, walls, rooms—these become meaningless distinctions in such a seamless and baffling landscape. teamLab told Slate via email that the immersive exhibit uses roughly 330,000 LEDs hung on 4.600 strips—there are mirrors, too, right? Even knowing these things, it’s frequently impossible to tell what’s going on exactly. And that’s part of what makes the exhibit so special. How can we not to envy the two women we see wandering through this glimmering sensory maze?
We can see that they each hold in their hands special devices used to control the piece. Still, “control” may be the wrong word; maybe more like “influence.” A quick peek at the device suggests they can basically just choose between having their minds blown this way or that.
When one of the women walks off into a sparkling starscape that then gently closes around her, it is, for lack of a better word, gasp-worthy. Or, perhaps more accurately: magical.
