Since 2001, Japanese art collective teamLab has created a number of interactive private digital art museums that merge projected videos with real world elements including water and mist to create immersive effects – a concept that it has taken from Japan to other Asian and Middle Eastern countries, but not the United States. Founded in 2004, South Korean design company d’strict has brought the same concept to Las Vegas with Arte Museum, which uses high-resolution projection displays to surround people with large room-scale digital art. In addition to seeing mystical and cartoony animals, walking through rooms filled with lanterns, and watching cascading waves of water splash against walls, visitors see waterfalls that are reflected with mirrors to look infinite, and stand in the middle of a pagoda filled with shifting art, fireworks, and natural displays.
Arte Museum isn’t as impressive as teamLab at its best, but mimics some of its features, including a “teabar” where your teacup interacts with ceiling-mounted projectors to spawn digital flowers as you drink. It is expected to expand to additional locations over the next few years.
