teamLab Borderless: Bridging Borders in Simulated Ecologies

Abstract

This article begins by identifying the ways that spatial borders were destroyed during Australia’s Black Summer fires. It then contrasts this with the opposite, the imposition of national and state borders as physical distancing is promoted as a way to counter the virulent spread of the COVID-19 virus. This radical transformation of actual borders is further contrasted with the intersecting virtual worlds in the museum teamLab Borderless (2018). teamLab Borderless is an immersive exhibition that features simulated worlds that are animated by human contact. They bleed outside of their designated zones, blurring spatial boundaries. teamLab Borderless draws from traditions in Japanese scroll ar..