Showa Roman-gura: teamLab Gallery Showa no Machi
Digital art technologists teamLab have paired up with Bungotakada’s Showa no Machi to open an art space in the Showa Roman-gura. teamLab’s digital art has become a global sensation known for vibrant, interactive light shows, and their exhibits have graced unique spaces in several countries. This showcase is one of three teamLab exhibitions located in Bungotakada and features an interactive element that visitors may participate in.
Entitled “Sketch Kusaji Odori,” the exhibit celebrates a traditional dance that originated in the Edo period (1603–1868) in the Kusaji area of Bungotakada. Today, the Kusaji Odori is performed every summer during the obon festival when spirits of the deceased are thought to visit the realm of the living. The interactive space of this exhibit features a meadow projected onto a wall, upon which drawings made by visitors come to life. Guests use crayons to sketch figures of people, which are scanned and projected onto the wall, where they walk around and interact with other figures. The drawings dance the Kusaji Odori when the music begins to play.