Ahead of this year’s Art Basel Hong Kong, art collective teamLab has partnered up with the city’s Leisure and Cultural Services Department to present teamLab: Continuous –– an outdoor exhibition that spans across Tamar Park and the Central and Western District Promenade. The exhibition is also made up of two main components, comprising hundreds of ovoids in “Resonating Life which Continues to Stand” and the lights-producing trees in “Resonating Trees.”
“The biggest difference between an egg-shape and an ovoid is that the latter will always bounce back — it doesn’t fall.” In the vein of that explanation, Takashi Kudo, a member of teamLab and the Communications Director for this project explains that “the ovoids are a metaphor for human emotions.” Whenever the ovoids are pushed down, they light up in color as they rise back up on their own. Likening the mechanics of human emotions, the exhibition conveys a positive outlook to being uplifted from a negative mood with optimism.
Susceptible to change according to its surroundings, when one ovoid is triggered, albeit by human touch, strong wind or heavy rain, it changes colors. And that change will spread to its neighboring ovoids, creating a conversation in light and color. This change in color also extends to the trees within the exhibition’s vicinity, fostering a continuous conversation between community, city and nature.
While nature moves, buildings are always still — the ovoids serve as something that is in between the two as it embrace the motions of nature while never collapsing. Kudo’s favorite segment of the exhibition features a handful of floating ovoids on the sea. As the sea is constantly unstable, it truly captures the nature of the ovoids. The various hues produced by the ovoids and its trees also echo Hong Kong’s electric skyline at night, thus enriching the city in a vibrant symphony of light.
The inspiration for the ovoids and trees derives from Kudo’s everyday fascination with the city’s relationship with nature. “I love the vibrancy of cities as that’s where I grew up. But at the same, I don’t want people to forget that we all are living and surrounded by nature.”
Opening on March 25, teamLab: Continuous will remain on view in the city until June 2, 2024. While the exhibit can be enjoyed from any of its surrounding areas, 30 minutes are offered for those who want to immerse themselves in the exhibition. These slots are allocated daily without any charge, but an online reservation is recommended beforehand. For more information, visit teamLab’s official website.
teamLab: Continuous
Tamar Park & Central and Western District Promenade (Central Section)
Harcourt Rd, Admiralty, Hong Kong
