TeamLabs Planets Exhibit (April 9, 2026)
When Elena purchased tickets for TeamLabs Planets, I was more “team player” than really excited to visit (another) art museum. Boy was I wrong and taken by complete surprise when we actually got into these exhibits. It was less Louvre and more Exploratorium (which is where I had my 12th birthday party).
Electric giant balls change colors when they connect with each other
I was really suspect when we were asked to remove our shoes and roll up our pants so that we could enter the first part of the museum aptly called “water.”
Walking barefoot through a series of dark hallway mazes …
Whatever expectations I had went right out the window. I’m suddenly “feeling with my feet” as I walk on different texture floor — some carpet, some soft padded, some elevated, etc. There’s enough light to see where you’re going, but otherwise, you’re “listening with your feet.” This was incredible mental fitness training as my mind quieted and I’m fully present in the experience exactly as it was designed.
Total surrender to this completely foreign experience & loving it
This whole experience was surprise and delight. It was initially unclear why we were directed to go through the “water” experience first. That is, until we had the experience. From taking off your shoes to the first few steps in the dark hallway, our bodies are brought into a sharp focus into the present moment. None of this was obvious when we were first orientated and shown this map:
Water to Garden to Open-Air and ending in the Forest. All by design.
The coolest parts of this experience are simply unexplainable. Even taking a picture out of context fails to illuminate the incredible visions shared by these incredible artists. For example, the image below does next to nothing to share what it’s like walking in milk-colored warm water with virtual koi fish swimming around and away from both the people and other koi fish. When they are eventually caught, they burst into cherry blossom flowers.
Low light and fast moments overpowered my iPhone’s abilities
So I’ll skip to this picture which is sharp and clear. But what the heck is going on? If you weren’t there, it’s really hard to understand or grasp fully how incredible this experience truly was.
Standing on a mirror with thousands of LED lights dancing to music
In this last one, it looks like I’m standing on glass and dozens of people are under me. But actually, the floor is a mirror, the high ceiling is also a mirror and all those people are on the exact level I’m standing taking this picture. When light and reflection meet, so much magic occurs. My sense of object permanence was disrupted (temporarily) as I took in all the light and illusions everywhere I looked – up, down, sides and even in front of me. This felt like a few of the more hard-core drug trips I’ve been on when I experienced the sensation of leaving my body entirely and disorientated around where I was in the universe and where everything else existed in this moment of time – even with my family by my side having a similar experience.
Taking a picture of the floor reflecting a high ceiling. Disorientating.
And all of this was just the beginning. Seriously. We’re still in “water” even without active water flowing. I’m sure there’s a larger depth of understanding why some were literally water experiences and others were light and sound set up in the water area. Regardless, this first part of the experience was worth the price of admission. (And it only got better from there).
Giant balls of light room where each “bump” changes both colors
Garden Exhibit
Ever wish you could teleport someone to join you even for just a few minutes? The moment we walked into the garden exhibit, I knew this would be heaven for my mother-in-law, Connie Knies.
Each flower is alive and responds to motion by rising or lowering
As you enter, it feels like you’re in a “walled garden” in that you’re literally facing a wall of beautiful flowers. But as you approach, something magical happens. The flowers rise so that you may enter. The space is full of more flowers that do the same. Imagine a real-time corn maze, but with flowers. You can turn in any direction and the flowers are either rising for you or lowering behind someone else who just left your general spot. I’ve seen nothing like this … ever. It’s like we entered a fairy dream land.
This is a 30 second video worth watching if you’re interested in getting a sense of what this exhibit was like. No, it’s not the same as being there, but you get the gist of what a floating garden of perfect flowers feels like.
Open-Air
This, at first, seemed like the least impressive exhibit. Almost like you’re walking around the movie set for the 1985 movie Cocoon. What is it? Why am I here? Why is this exhibit outside in the cold air?
Colorful eggs on a lawn just appear to be there … until …
This exhibit is meant to be immersive, so I did what anyone curious might do. I pushed an egg object and suddenly the colors all changed. Not just on the egg I touched, but all the surrounding eggs … like a contagion. Turns out these eggs are not just sensitive to human touch; they respond to weather. Hot? Cold? Wet? Dry? They change with all the changing conditions in the environment. More subtile to be sure, but fascinating none the less.
Transporting back to your inner child in 3, 2 …
Forest
I love my inner child. I naturally enjoy playgrounds with my kids because I refuse to grow up. But this forest was a whole new level. Imagine designing a full playground for adults. Like the bubbles in the picture above. You must jump on ONLY ONE COLOR. Oh, and the colors change fast, so what looks like an “easy” path suddenly closes just as fast as your brain processes where to go. The result? Extreme fun, laughter and competition.
You need agility, balance, eye-foot coordination, and a good sense of humor. How fun! And this was just one of the exhibits in the forest.
Or how about a series of balance exercises on what feels like an alien planet. No, there’s no “water” under the small objects you’re supposed to stand on, but it sure feels like it when you see the motion of the all the lights underneath your feet. It’s purposefully disorientating.
And of course, there are vertical balance challenges similar to a low ropes course with neon and set to music.
Low ropes course painted neon and color coded for multiple climbers
I’m only scratching the surface here. There was a trampoline room, a competitive slide room, an uneven surface room, a digital wall room with active animations responding to whatever you build and a whole separate section with animals you could touch and they’d respond to your touch. Will, for example, touched a great white shark and it turned around and swam away from him.
And outside, when it feels like everything is “done” there’s still this digital artwork that responds to people in and around it.
Red lava tower that responds to people stepping on it
If this is the future of art, I’m all for it. There’s something about the full immersion experience that’s unlike anything else I’ve experienced. Yes, I enjoyed it when they did something similar with a Vincent van Gogh exhibit, but tonight was NEXT LEVEL.
This is the difference between “enhancing” existing art and starting from ground zero and building a fully immersive experience from scratch. A group of people got together, shared a vision for what’s possible and turned that vision into reality. And we’re all the better for it. I’d go back and do this all again with different people. I think that’s the point. It will never be the same experience twice.
I’m just glad I had the privilege of experiencing it once.
