Forging Immersive Experiences Within Simulated Nature

As seen from the development of art creation in various regions, the process of creating artworks is closely related to certain social and cultural contexts. For example, teamLab’s digital artworks are inspired by the philosophy of Japanese Edo-period paintings. According to Stefan Morawski’s assertion that aesthetic phenomena are related to the context of socio-historical development and that artworks are interdependent with various cultural activities, this article thus presupposes that cultural references can enrich spectators’ spatial perception in experiencing digital artworks. Moreover, as most of the digital images of teamLab’s works are derived from nature, it is possible to discover the interrelation between people, nature, and digital technology. Hence, the article intends to explore the spatial aesthetic relationship between teamLab’s artworks and traditional Japanese gardens. Founded in Japan, teamLab is one of the world’s leading digital art teams combining art, architecture, and animation with interdisciplinary expertise. Drawing on the Japanese way of experiencing the world revealed in ukiyo-e, teamLab’s works translate the spatial relationships between people, nature, and place into digital media. The article thus analyzes the aesthetic similarity between teamLab’s digital nature and the micro-nature shaped by traditional Japanese gardens. The article concludes by examining the spatial and aesthetic correlation between teamLab’s works and traditional Japanese gardens in terms of the use of spatial elements and spatial arrangement concepts, as well as the cultural implications embedded in the two studied objects.