Academic Reflection - MORI Digital Art Museum
This reflection is an addition to my free day post from May 29th. I have chosen to synthesize two articles, both by business wire. They claim that since opening in June 2018, there have been over 1 million visitors to MORI. Approximately 1/3 of them are foreigners and of this, 1/2 of them came to Tokyo specifically to see the exhibit. The exhibit itself is split into 5 main sections; Borderless World, Athletic Forest, Future Park, Forest of Lamps, and EN TEA HOUSE. The articles also went over the mission of MORI and teamLab, as well as a statement from the leaders of both groups.
When we went to the museum, it was one of the most foreigner-friendly places we visited. The English was detailed and grammatical, and the workers had badges on their uniforms with which languages they were proficient in. Additionally, the video played before we walked in was played in both Japanese and English. This goes back to the first article, which stated that a good proportion of the people who visited the museum were foriegners. They have crafted their art space to be a borderless wonderland, and placing a boundary based on origin would go against their mission. In this way, the Borderless exhibit truly lived up to its name - not only did the art move around, but people from across the globe were brought together to appreciate it.
Toshiyuki Inoko, the founder of teamLab, gave his viewpoint when describing the artwork as being liberated from physical constraints. This was very apparent walking through the first level especially because although it was separated into several areas, the different pieces actually moved between rooms. I thought this was especially interesting in the transition hallways, where exhibits with completely different looks would meld into one another - black and white swirling with colored marching frogs in one area.
Although we didn’t go into them, there were also many learning centers on the second floor. The goal of the museum is not only to inspire wonder but also to create an active learning environment. It is the view of Shingo Tsuji, CEO of the MORI building, that children are suffering from the dull 2D teaching style of classrooms. As such, the museum is equipped with exhibits meant for all ages, focusing on things like sea life and space, and accompanied by learning rooms where they can explore ideas like gravity. The idea that you can be introduced to such a heavy topic and then jump on a trampoline to see the planets in a solar system react to you, is a novel way to get kids interested in science from a young age.
As discussed in the articles, spaces such as this will become increasingly important as Tokyo approaches 2020. With an influx of foreigners, exhibits that can both draw in large crowds and handle the language barrier efficiently will be few and far between. With a focus on imagination, MORI and teamLab are generating a huge amount of interest, which has been shown to turn into a sizeable amount of profit from tourism. Because after all, who doesn't want to feel like a kid again?