Dazzling lights, animated digital displays and interactive exhibits are all part of Pace Gallery’s latest showcase, “Living Digital Space and Future Parks,” in Menlo Park. This temporary branch, open until Dec. 18, features work by the Japanese group teamLab. It invites visitors of all ages to immerse themselves within the luminescence and gleam that includes 20 riveting works and fills more than 20,000 square feet.
It doesn’t take very long to see that “Living Digital Space and Future Parks” is not the most typical art exhibit. Even on the outside, the building looks more like an industrial warehouse than your traditional architecturally perfected, state-of-the-art museum. But its atypical use of technology in order to create art in astonishing fashion is what makes a visit to Pace so enjoyable, and even the most casual visitor will find the gallery to be both breathtaking and engaging.
Once past the reception desk, visitors immediately notice a suspended cube of LED lights flashing an array of warm hues in an effort to represent a shimmering blaze. (Hence its name: “Light Sculpture of Flames.”) Though it isn’t the most impressive piece in the gallery, it serves as a pleasant preview of the main attractions to come.
Deeper into the exhibit is the ever-so-popular and photogenic “Crystal Universe” by teamLab. Visitors walk through a galaxy of twinkling light strands that continuously changes its evanescent patterns. Mimicking the endless night sky (the star-studded world of “Star Wars” comes to mind), this display of shifting color gradients proved that this showcase is a crowd-pleaser for a reason. The whole experience gives viewers the chance to navigate through a celestial world of their own.
Around the corner from “Crystal Universe” is “Crows are Chased and the Chasing Crows are Destined to be Chased as Well, Division in Perspective — Light in Dark” (a lengthy name fit for its extensive exposé). Behind the curtains that hide the unlit room is a series of massive floor-to-ceiling video screens, which display what initially appears to be calm blurs of light splotches. The videos take a sudden turn (accompanied by increasingly dramatic music that matches the storyline well) and begin to tell the story of a flock of crows, using fast-moving images composed of green-tinted silhouettes. One of the must-sees, the Crows exhibit combines the traditional element of perspective with technology, in describing the crows’ impressive journey through time.
A surprisingly fun part of Pace is the Sketch Aquarium, located in an entirely separate building from the main exhibit, just a few steps away. This space, originally meant for children, gives ticket-holders the opportunity to go back in time to their own preschool days. At the Sketch Aquarium, you can design your own sea creatures, which are then scanned and brought to life on a gigantic interactive wall screen. While the targeted age group might not include all, visitors can still thoroughly enjoy how teamLab is able to connect digital art and technology with the very basics of every childhood; a ticket into the main building gets you into the Sketch Aquarium as well.
Pace certainly has strong aesthetics and cute novelty, both of which contribute to a strong grasp on what engages the modern community. The artwork is fresh and fitting for its contemporary label and manages to entertain a wide variety of visitors. But of course, if you’re neither an art junkie nor a tech fanatic, at least you’ve got a great new picture for Instagram.
The exhibit is open Tuesdays-Sundays from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. until Dec. 18. Tickets are available online and at the exhibit for $10.
Editor’s note: An original version of this article reported that the works of artists Alexander Calder and Tara Donovan were also on display at the “Living Digital Space and Future Parks” exhibit. In fact, their works are available for viewing in Pace Gallery’s new downtown location on Hamilton Avenue. The Daily has corrected this error and apologizes for any confusion.
Contact Ashley Chang at ashleychang47 ‘at’ gmail.com and Andrew Choi at andrewyoonchoi ‘at’ gmail.com.