Home / Art

2,300 Floating Flowers Move to Greet Visitors in Interactive Installation

In this exquisite and fully-immersive installation, 2,300 flowers are suspended in a room and respond to the moment when a visitor enters their space. The blooms greet the person by moving towards them and eventually floating close above their head. This creates a small dome, and the viewer is then surrounded by a gorgeous sea of colorful vegetation.

The installation is the handiwork of teamLab, a collective made up of tech specialists based in Tokyo, Japan. They call it Floating Flower Garden, and it's part of a large-scale exhibition at Miraikan National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation.

TeamLab's interactive display allows a person to become completely one with the garden. The piece was inspired by a Zen koan (a parable) from Nanquan Puyuan, the founder of a famous monastery. As legend has it, Nanquan spent 30 years in a mountain retreat without leaving. At the governor's request, he finally descended and taught the residents living below. Nanquan's teachings include a lesson about the Zen mind and how humans and nature are one. They merge into a seamless fabric of life.

Floating Flower Garden was originally scheduled to close on March 1 but was extended until May 10 thanks to its popularity. And with these dazzling visuals, it's not hard to see why.

teamLab website
via [Spoon & Tamago and Faith is Torment]

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled 'Embroidered Life' that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
Become a
My Modern Met Member
As a member, you'll join us in our effort to support the arts.
Become a Member
Explore member benefits

Sponsored Content